Rise of the Crusader

Later that night, Raphael returned to his room with a smile on his face.

He didn't seem bothered that he had just created a weapon for someone who had a grudge against him, and instead, he appeared to be very glad about it.

"What was Serena thinking?" With his back resting on the bed, Raphael muttered. "The tech is really a decent place to be, I need to discuss the terms we spoke about when I agreed to join the academy."

While Raphael was reading the book in his hands, he couldn't help but voice out his complaint. And truthfully, he couldn't be blamed for having the thoughts he was having at the moment.

The academy took proper care of the students in the tech division, especially the astounding ones among them. And with his skills and intellect, Raphael felt that he could be getting all those resources from the academy without paying a penny for it, of course.

"A nuclear weapon would take me at least six to eleven days to properly create, but with the machines involved it took me less than twelve hours to create." Raphael blurted. "The difference is really vast."

"Now, think of the amount of invention we could make. We have been able to achieve what the lame call impossible without using these machines, I say imagine what we can create when we have those tools in our control." There was a tinge of excitement in Raphael's voice as he spoke.

Even Gus, who was on his shoulder, reading the book in Raphael's hand also paused. Gus's eyes twitched, and then it let out a long hiss that indicated its excitement at what had just been saying.

Suddenly, Raphael raised an eyebrow, "World domination?" Raphael shook his head after he spoke those words.

"I haven't really considered it, until now, that you mentioned it. But, I'm not really enticed about the idea of it, I'd think about it though." Raphael responded.

When Gus heard Raphael reply, it snuggled closer to Raphael.

"Hahaha!!!" Raphael laughed as he saw Gus advance. "I didn't realize you wanted world domination. Even though the idea isn't too bad, I'm really not into it. But, I might consider it, if that's your desire."

Was Raphael absurd for thinking that he would be able to achieve world domination with enough resources from the academy? No, he isn't. Raphael was if not absolutely certain if he could get his hands on every piece of equipment, item, and machine he demanded for then ruling the world was only a matter of time.

To him, it was more akin to taking candy from a baby. And he might simply have to wave his hand, and the world could as well be said to be his.

Suddenly, Gus moved away from Raphael and then stood at the desk beside the table. There were no words from the owl, but it glared at Raphael and after a few seconds, it let out a snort.

"What?" Raphael's voice rang out.

Gus snorted once again.

"I didn't tamper with the nuclear weapon, how could I," Raphael said, to which Gus let out a long hiss. "If I did, then I wouldn't be a man of my word. I owed her a favor, and I was simply repaying her."

Suddenly, Raphael's mouth opened slightly and his eyes widened. He seemed to want to say something, but as he stared at Gus who was hissing, snorting, and shaking its head in almost every direction, Raphael was unable to let out a word.

Raphael's eyes squinted, "So, now it has gotten to cursing. The good thing is it's my father that you're cursing, and I'm not really concerned about that son of a bitch, but how did it get to this extent." Raphael muttered.

There was then another hiss from Gus that made Raphael say, "Of course, just because I owe her a favor doesn't mean, I'm going to put myself at risk for her."

"I… I…" Raphael stuttered. "I could have tampered with it, but I chose not to, and why is it that you're complaining about it now? You didn't seem to have any problem with it when we were creating the nuclear weapon." Raphael exclaimed.

"And what do you mean you thought I would mess with the weapon? I didn't because I'm a man of my word." Raphael responded to Gus's screech that came after she spoke.

The argument went on between Raphael and Gus for quite a long time, and after a while, Raphael heaved a deep breath and waved his hand at the owl.

"Here we go again, the cursing continues. You really have to learn more curse words apart from those three words you use. I'm starting to become tolerant of the insults now that I have heard them so many times." Raphael said.

Suddenly, Raphael burst into laughter, he shook his head and then stood from the bed.

Raphael walked over to the table in the room, and then took the wristwatch that was on it. He turned towards him, and a smile appeared on his face a second after.

"I might have not tampered with the nuclear weapon, but I'm able to know of its location, status, movements, and lastly, I can also control it if I like," Raphael said.

As Raphael spoke, Gus's eyes flickered with joy, and from the look that Raphael had on his face, it could tell that there was still more information that was yet to be revealed.

"I'm of course not going to mess with the weapon, since I created it for her, but if let's say I wanted to, then I could. And to end it all, the control that I have over the nuclear weapon far out ways Aurora."

Gus flapped its wings and then flew around the room.

As for Raphael, he shook his head, and let out a smile. He stared at the wristwatch in his hand before placing his hand on his chin.

If it had been any other tool or gadget that Aurora wanted them then Raphael might not have pulled any string, but when it was a nuclear weapon he had no other choice.

Raphael, of course, wouldn't make use of the nuclear weapon in any way. Whatever bold move Aurora wanted to make with the nuclear weapon, he was going to let her do so, as long as he nor the people he cares about will be affected.

Even for the other weapons, he had created in the past for clients, Raphael had always created a suitable method to deal with them in advance.

It would be extremely insulting and ridiculous if he were to suffer in the hands of one of his creations after all.

"I thought about it thoroughly before taking that step you know," As Raphael placed the wristwatch back on the table, his voice rang out.

This time around, Gus nodded its head and a look of approval could be seen on its face.

Suddenly, Raphael's eyebrows furrowed. He stared at the window and then look around the room.

"Did you hear that?" Raphael asked.

Gus stared at the room before then shaking his head.

THUD!

It wasn't even up to a second after Raphael spoke, and the books on his shelf and other equipment around the table began to fall to the ground.

What then followed was the ground shaking, and the glasses shattering, and the table falling.

Raphael glanced at Gus, and said, "An earthquake."

Immediately after, Raphael spoke and his room door was slammed open. "Raphael, we have to hurry out quickly, this place is going to be destroyed." It was Bane that spoke.

As Bane spoke, he turned around and was about to rush out of the room when he realized that Raphael hadn't moved from his room.

"What are you still waiting for?!" Bane yelled.

Raphael raised his hand and then stared at Bane, "We are not going to make it in time." Raphael blurted. "What about Aiden, where is he?" Raphael inquired.

Bane was drenched in cold sweats after Raphael spoke. His body shook, and then he gulped before he was actually able to respond to Raphael.

"Aiden isn't around. He and Devon went to the party at the second block." Bane paused, "And for a matter of fact, it isn't just Devon and Aiden who are not around, the entire student in the dormitory are all there."

"It's just the both of us here… We are dead!" Bane exclaimed.

Raphael's brows were pulled together when he heard Bane. He knew about the party that was occurring at the second block, as Aiden had informed him about it, but he immediately turned it down.

"Oh, oh"

While an earthquake was termed as a natural phenomenon, Raphael refused to believe that this was one. It was quite absurd that an earthquake would occur on the same day that everyone except himself was out of the building.

However, this wasn't the time to ponder who was behind this, as the surrounding was already starting to fall apart.

Raphael turned towards the window, "Follow me He muttered.

It wasn't then up to a second after Raphael and the quake occurred fully.

RUMBLE!