Chapter 9: Frenzied Reynold

He tried to forcefully opens the armored door by kicking it until it opens a gap that let him escape.

The guards are panicking when they saw Reynold's strength, but few of them collected themselves quickly.

"We can't let him get away! Boss will kill us or this guy will do it!"

"Y-Yes! He's alone and unarmed while we have guns and we're many."

"Get the M429 here we need support!"

They busy themselves for the inevitable fight later, but Reynold didn't let them do what they want.

He broke the door much faster than they expected, then he rushes towards the nearby guard while struck his palm on his jaw before twisting his neck.

He grabbed the gun of the dead guard while using the guard as a shield from the bullets, then he maniacally charges towards them while firing gunshots.

"Let's party!"

Reynold exclaimed while excitedly massacre every guards in the basement.

"Get the big guns! We need backup Reynold is escaping!" a guard reported on his walkie talkie while being shot on his cover.

"We're coming!" a man on the other side replied.

While the guards are waiting for backup, Reynold already killed 11 guards before the reinforcement arrived.

Reynold sense some danger when he saw the reinforcement arrived, then he runs towards a stone pillar while bringing a meat shield with him.

*Brrrrt!*

A M249 shot at his previous position while following a trail of bullets on his way to the pillar.

'Huu~! They almost got me there. I need to change tactics.'

"Reynold change plans! We don't need the info Boss want you to die!"

"Is that Papa Cholo? Ain't your base getting attacked mate? Why are you here?"

He was distracting them by shooting and talking to prevent them from noticing him connecting the grenades that he collected from the guards and when it's completed, he pulls the pin in one of the grenades and throw it at them.

"Here! This is a gift of appreciation Cholo!"

They only saw the grenades coming towards them before it went off and explode.

*Boooom*

The entire building shook from the explosion that just happened and countless debris started to fall from the ceiling.

Reynold protected himself from the explosion earlier and when he saw the area of explosion he got amazed.

"Phhwwt! That's some big explosion there. I better meet Antonio and end this." he whistled while slowly strolling on top of countless body parts.

"Kaahk! Y-You! Y-You're already late Rey-"

*Bang*

"Stop blabbing your mouth Cholo. I've never been late." he coldly said while ending his last breath.

He slowly walked towards the top floor of this building while getting a new gun on the way to the top.

...

On the top floor, he saw Antonio's back while looking outside the window full of gunshots and explosion.

"Hey! You're not going to serve me some tea?" Reynold casually asked while standing at the door.

"Reynold. The world is now changing and someone need to change it, you're only looking for thrill and excitement all this time that's why you even stole 'it' for people to chase you down until they capture you, even before the apocalypse we know you as the 'Super Soldier', 'The Reaper', a crazy maniac that served the military just to make your boring life to experience excitement in the battlefield."

Antonio didn't reply to his remark instead he mention some of his deeds.

"So, your point is?" he ponders for a bit before saying.

"We would like to invite you to join us. The underworld welcomes the likes of you as our peers. We can rule the world that nobody can achieve before the apocalypse while we were conquering the world with your help and we will help you fulfill your desires."

Antonio ambiguously said while enticing Reynold to join them on their organization.

"Phew~! This is why I hate second rate villains they spout nonsense here and there. It's kinda annoying you know?" he sighed while looking at him amused.

"I see that's your answer. What a waste then." Antonio turned around looking at him coldly while releasing a black energy around his body.

'What a pressure! This is much stronger than the Tier 1 zombie that I fought!' he thought while licking his lips in excitement.

Reynold quickly made his moves by shooting him, while Antonio charge towards him evading and dodging every bullet that he shot.

"You can't beat me Reynold!" Antonio said while his arm, transform into a black tentacle.

When Antonio was close at Reynold he attacks him at a fast speed.

'What a speed!' he exclaimed while dodging to the side.

*Splat*

Antonio chases after him while Reynold spat a blood as he got hit on his abdomen, he can only passively dodge and defend while thinking of some plan to counter attack.

"Is this all you've got Reynold!" Antonio excitedly shouted while kicking the gun on the ground.

'I can't only just dodge or else I'll be meat paste later, but I can't use my skill yet.' he thought while calmly assessing the situation.

Reynold keeps backing off until he got cornered in the glass window and Antonio follow suit while smashing his black tentacle much faster than the last one.

He dodges the attack above his head, while the glass window couldn't withstand the pressure from the strike.

A 60mm thick glass window just broke with one strike just like that.

Reynold didn't miss the chance when he saw Antonio's arm stuck in the broken glass window, he immediately kicked his temple as he draws his knife and quickly strike his vitals.

'That's a good hit!' he inwardly exclaimed while retreating on safe distance.

He saw that Antonio wasn't moving, but he didn't dare to approach him as he knows it's a trap.

"Even though you're in advantage and excited in a fight. You're not careless as I thought." Antonio said while pulling his arm.

He just stood at his spot while the wounds that he receive on his body is slowly healing.

"Are you kidding me!?" Reynold exclaimed surprised.

"You should have accepted my offer Reynold! It's a pity I still have something to do or else I could talk to you all day."

Antonio said while his tentacle arm retracts and turns into a claw that slowly increases in size.

'Hmm.. I hate to admit it that he's strong, but not fast enough!'

He looked at his User Interface and saw his bar for stacks is full.

[Stacks: 100/100]

'Every kill did I make is 5 stacks and I probably killed more than 20 earlier in the basement until I reach here. It's probably exceeded my stack right?'

When Reynold was fighting someone he didn't just go on a killing spree instead he's always meticulously calculating his odds of winning and every kill that he made is making him more cunning and rational unlike other people that make them clouded with bloodlust.

When he activates his skill he suddenly felt his head become more clear while his limbs become lighter and agile.

"Waoo~! It's soo good!" he moaned in delight.

"So, you're going all out now, but here I thought that you're strong, you're being arrogant with only a mere Tier 1 Energy Core. I'm disappointed on you."

"Let me show you the difference between you and me."

Antonio mocked him while his black arm is finally 2 meters big and the aura that Reynold felt is much stronger now.

"Die!"

He swung his huge claw around trying to hit him, but Reynold is so fast that he always evaded his attack.

Antonio sacrifice his mobility while increasing his strength and range of attack.

'If I got hit by his claw I'm done. Well, if he can hit me that is.' he thought while smiling, he felt the situation was funny.

The huge claw was kept swinging around the room and everything in the room is destroyed even the walls, doors and items that placed inside the room ,but it still can't hit his target.

Reynold has the advantage in terms of mobility, thus he came unscathed while on the other hand Antonio is now full of scars and wounds all over him with his slow speed.

"Catch me if you can!" Reynold insulted him in the middle of the fight whenever he can while dodging.

"Haa.. Haa.. I'm not done yet!"

Antonio is getting frustrated by this situation he thought that by having this power he can end this battle right away, but instead he became slow and couldn't hit him while his enemy is just toying with him.

They're fighting relentless for an hour now and Reynold has exhausted his stacks while Antonio almost exhausted his energy as he was hard stalling the fight to wait for his skill cooldown, but as they fight for too long Antonio eventually got exhausted and leave an opening.

'Chance!'

Reynold didn't let the opportunity slip on his hand and he quickly attacked him with his knife.

He stabbed him on his head, neck, heart and he even mercilessly attack his genitals.

"Y-You dirty son of a-"

Antonio died with full of indignant, resentment and frustration in this fight.

He died because of the effects of his skill, he died because the cooldown of his skill and lastly he died because he was kept being attack on his weak spot.

"That's tough!" Reynold breath a sigh of relief with that guy dying.

He looked around the messy room and outside the window where he can still hear some constant gunshots and resistance from the mafia and the army.

"I need to go now before the old man discover my tracks."

When he was about to get out of the room, he notices Antonio body become a black slime and what replaces it is big black crystal.

"Hmm.. Is this the Corrupted Energy Crystal?" he carefully examined the black crystal.

"I can extract this thing to experiment later on."

He keeps the crystal on a suitcase without touching it, then walked towards a deserted alley behind this building before cautiously walking and looking around the alley.

'I need to tend my wounds before going back to my headquarters.'

While he was walking he saw a young man around 20 years old with black hair, slender body and pale complexion staggering while carrying a brown bag with spear on the side and a hunting rifle on his hand.

He stopped on his track and observed the unusual young man, while he was observing on the distance the young man felt he was being watched, so he turned around and saw an injured man carrying a suitcase.

"Hey! You okay mate!?" he asked with a smile.

He only saw him lazily nod, then turned around and walked away.

"What an attitude!" he exclaimed in surprised tone and become curious.

"What are you doing here? Living around this area? Escaping?"

Reynold asks him a lot of questions as he follows him behind.

"Stop following me!" the young man pointed his gun then walk away.

"It's okay. Don't need to be shy! Hehe~!" he teased him while walking out of the alley in the shopping district.

"Anyways, pardon my late introduction I'm Reynold Edevane. What's yours?" he introduced himself.

"Why do I need to answer that question?"

"Well, I'm just interested to know." he said while laughing awkwardly.

'I just felt something odd about you and It seems not bad to know you.' while he thought differently.

"Hmm.. I'm Ziv no surname." he unfriendly said without looking at him.

"Why no surname?" Reynold asked curiously.

"Orphan." Ziv plainly replied.

"Oh.. Okay." Reynold awkwardly said.

"Where are you going?" he continues to asks.

"Nowhere near you." Ziv answer in an unfriendly tone again.

"Kahk! Anyways, you don't know where to go wanna come with me?" Reynold asks with sparkling eyes.

"If I refused you're going to kidnap me?" Ziv replied.

"No. I'll tied your hand first before throwing you in my van."

"Hmm." Ziv ponders for a moment.

"Are you a User? If so, we can go to some novice village in the countryside. It's decided then."

"You're not deciding here." Ziv refuted.

"Leeet'ss gooo!" Reynold ignored his answer while grabbing his hands.

They continue walking away from the shopping district, leaving behind the huge mess in their back.

This is when The Virtuoso and The First Phantom first met.