Mutagen

<strong>Day 130 - 2:48 PM - Browning Square, Bellmawr, Camden County, New Jersey, United States of America</strong>

PLOP! PLOP! SPLAT! SPLAT! SQUISH!

Those eerie sounds echoed in everyone's ears in the main hall very clearly. It was despite how noisy it was outside because of the ongoing battle between the factions of the outlaws.

Looking at the slowly slipping slices of human flesh as each piece fell on the ground one by one, accompanied by a splatter of blood, Mark noticed something.

CLANG! CLANG!

Pieces of metal also fell from the guns that the outlaws held.

"I messed up the controls, huh."

Mark murmured.

He only wanted to kill these guys and, at least, get their guns for the prisoners to use. But of course, since it was the very first time he used the new crystal he had, the [Wind Manipulation Crystal], his control was not perfect. Although he managed not to break the weapons too much, bits and pieces still got sliced off them, rendering the guns unusable.

***

Flaurios Mirrioulle. He was the previous owner of this ability. He was the frivolous and narcissistic son of one of the ministers of Freed's father, the King of Eriellis before Freed took over the throne without a choice.

A famous womanizer to an annoying degree, it was the perfect description for Flaurios if someone was to ask. Every single time he saw a beautiful woman, he would try to hit on them. The most annoying part, however, was that a lot of them would fall to this frivolous man. That made it even easier for other men to hate this guy.

The only thing that changed this guy was when the outbreak came. Well, his change was only small, but it made him a bit acceptable for the same gender. It was because his whole family was killed by a strong Psychic Infected at the time they were evacuating.

From there, he became one of Freed's vassals and one of the last protectors of Eriellis before it fell. Of course, he caused a lot of problems as he tried to hit with girls in the group, only to be physically rejected by them. It was not surprising since the only girls who would manage to survive the outbreak were not people that were easily swayed by his sweet words.

The most annoying thing about him was that his ability was among the strongest in the group. Flaurios' Psychic power was not just blowing wind or controlling it. His [Wind Manipulation] was unlike most of the abilities that only focused on one kind of attack like [Wind Blades], [Wind Arrow], or [Gale Blow]. It was an ability higher than those and allowed Flaurios to control, move, and shape the air as long as he had the right image, focus, and knowledge.

That was also the problem in his ability. Being a frivolous person before the outbreak, Flaurios had no knowledge to properly use his powers and had to study and practice it hard afterward.

***

Like what Mark did just now, he molded the air into thin blades by increasing the air pressure into thin lines and launched it forward. He used an image similar to a waterjet cutter with a wide nozzle.

And this was the result. The outlaws in front were cut into layers of flesh instantly.

This was one reason that made wind-based abilities frightening in real life. Unless the air was mixed with chemicals in high concentration, it was transparent, tasteless, and odorless. Because of it, even if Mark was already spotted, he was still able to launch a surprise attack and instantly killed the enemies.

"Urph..."

Mark could not help but pause and turn behind him as he heard that noise.

"Well, of course..." Mark shrugged.

Most of the prisoners were not able to stand the bloody scene in front.

It was not like they were not used to blood or anything. These people were survivors that made it this far in the apocalypse, and all of them already had their fair share of killing, specifically, the infected. Still, there was a different sensation to seeing the infected with their disgusting wounds and killing them by shooting or destroying their brain and neck, compared to a living human suddenly turning into piles of steak slices.

What made Mark appreciate these people, however, was that even though their stomachs were already churning, they forced to hold it in and did not throw up. Well, it was not they did not want to, but they were forced not to as they were afraid that Mark would get annoyed.

"I guess that thought also works." Mark shrugged as he turned around. "Follow closely, or I won't be able to protect any of you."

Mark then continued on the way, passing through the piles of flesh on the floor.

Despite how repulsive it was for the prisoners, they carried on and followed Mark. It was even if their feet were soaked with the blood from the dead outlaws.

Soon, the whole group of prisoners, led by Mark, fearfully stepped out of the building.

"Shhh."

Mark signaled the prisoners with a mischievous smile. It was because a small group from the defeated third faction with their leader was intently watching the battle between the leaders of the other two sides.

"How's the fight? Still at a stalemate?"

Mark suddenly spoke to the group making the prisoners shocked.

Unexpectedly...

"Yeah, it seemed that it won't end anytime soon."

One of the guys answered without looking at Mark.

"They looked awfully tired already. Shouldn't Boss throw in some "help" now?"

Mark asked, glancing at the fight in the middle of Browning Square.

"Yeah, Boss! Why don't we "help" them now?"

One of the members of the group turned to their Boss, sitting down and leaning his back unto the wall. It seemed that these guys knew that their Boss was just pretending to be defeated.

"It's still not the right time. Let them kill each other first," The Boss replied with a sinister smile. "You should stand close and wait for my signa..."

The Boss replied to his lackeys and turned to Mark, thinking that he was one of them. That was when he did not manage to finish his sentence, and his voice trailed off. It was because he could not recognize Mark at all.

As their Boss suddenly became silent, the members of their group turned to him only to see him looking at something with an incredulous expression. They all turned to what their Boss was looking at and saw Mark.

They all stared at him the same way, unable to comprehend who this guy was, how he was able to come here, and why the prisoners were not in their dungeon and following behind him.

"Oh, hello."

Mark waved at them with a smile.

"Intru-!!!"

The Boss shouted as what was happening, finally registered on his mind. He also tried to use his Mutator Ability and transformed. His eyes turned yellow, and the pupils turned into slits. Greenish gray scales with diamond patterns also appeared on his face and neck with his tongue, elongating and split at the end.

Before he could finish his shout or transform, though, the Boss saw his vision spinning.

The last thing he saw was the heads of his subordinates spinning together with him.

'No...' The Boss thought as he saw their group's headless bodies slump to the ground before his vision went black.

"A Poisonous snake mutation, huh..."

Mark murmured as he picked up the Boss's head and turned the remaining blood on the head into metal so it would stop dripping. He then threw it into the hole that appeared in front of him.

The prisoners were both surprised, while some had stifled laughs at how comical that scene was.

"INTRUDERS!!!"

Well, of course. After that happened, it was not surprising that they were spotted. Being spotted was not the right term, though. In the first place, they were not hiding at all.

That shout froze everyone, including the four faction leaders that were currently fighting.

They all turned to Mark and the prisoners. Many of the prisoners' legs gave way as a lot of guns were now pointed at them.

"Who are you?!"

The older Swift Brother shouted at Mark, knowing that he should be the intruder as he led the prisoners out.

Of course, the four leaders decided to stop the fight with a glance as they faced Mark. Then, they also saw the headless corpses in front of him.

"Don't mind us and continue fighting!" Mark nonchalantly shouted back before turning to the prisoners behind him. "All of you stand up. Let's go."

The prisoners stared at Mark incredulously. They could not fathom what was happening in his head at all. They were already surrounded with guns pointed at them. Why was Mark not fazed at all?

"STOP!"

The younger Swift Brother shouted as Mark took a step to leave.

Mark then turned to the brothers with a smile.

"You two sure want me to stop? Really? After the two of you ran away from me yesterday?"

"Yesterday?"

The younger Swift Brother questioned as he could not fathom what Mark was talking about.

However, the older brother froze and got into his fighting stance. There was only one person that they escaped from yesterday.

"You're that Grim Reaper..."

The older brother spoke with a grim tone as if he saw his mortal enemy.

Hearing what the older Swift Brother called Mark, the other members of the outlaws felt stupid.

Grim Reaper? This guy that looked like a lackey from a gang movie was?

"Are you sure about that?"

The woman with rainbow scales that stood close to the older Swift Brother asked. She was also disinclined to believe what he was saying. It might also be just a ploy to catch her off guard.

But there, her expression turned from nonchalant to very serious. It was because she saw the Older Brother's expression, and it was clear that he was not joking around.

"SHOOT!" The Older Brother shouted. "Don't mind if the prisoners and slaves get caught in the crossfire! KILL THAT BASTARD!"

BAM!

"Late," Mark spoke as everyone froze.

Not a single gunshot was fired as all the lackeys were frozen in fear. They wanted to pull the trigger of their guns, but their shivering fingers would not follow their command at all.

They could only stare at Mark, whose eyes were glowing brightly in red color.

BAM!

Their leg's shivered. Not to mention shooting, it even became harder for these people to stand.

BAM!

They started to choke. It became too hard to breathe.

The most affected ones were the members of the outlaws that were just regular humans. One by one, they started to fall on their knees.

As for the four faction leaders and the other Mutators, they were still standing. For the regular Mutators, it was very hard to do so, however.

The only ones that still managed to resist better were the four faction leaders. These four were [Level Two Mutators], after all. It was harder for them to go down.

"SH*T! WHAT IS THIS?!" The older Swift Brother cursed as he saw his remaining lackeys fall.

It was the same for the younger Swift Brother, Rainbow-scaled woman, and Speedo Guy. They could not fathom what was happening at all.

"Well, then," Mark spoke in a loud voice. "You four and all those that can still stand. Let's make a bet."

"DON'T F*CK WITH ME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

The younger Swift Brother was about to charge in. He could not take the humiliation from yesterday, and now, Mark was obviously playing with them.

But then, the younger brother froze as he felt a hand on his bone armored shoulder.

"Bro, don't be rash."

The older brother held his younger brother with a scary expression, forcing the younger to calm down.

"What bet do you want?"

The older Swift Brother asked Mark.

"Nothing much." Mark smiled sinisterly. "I'll let you all be able to move around freely. I'll attack ten times. Those that can survive the attacks can be left alive. Be sure that you all only stay in the parking area. All those that go out will be killed immediately."

Hearing the conditions, the four faction leaders looked at each other and nodded. What could the enemy do in ten attacks anyway? He was just one person, and there was still a lot of them. Furthermore, the attack just now only seemed to restrict the movements and not kill.

Even if some people died, there was no way that Mark would be able to kill them all in just ten attacks.

"We agree!"

The four leaders replied in unison. They knew that fighting under this restriction was deadlier than accepting the gamble.

Knowing what was going on with their emotions, Mark smiled.

Several crystals magically flew around his right arm as his body was covered in black haze, forming a cloak.

Bat wings sprouted from his back as he flew up under everyone's amazed gaze.

"Get ready then."

They heard Mark's playful voice was heard as he stretched his right hand forward.

There, they could only stare at the sky with their wide eyes as hundreds of fist-sized balls of electricity appeared behind Mark.