CHAPTER 14

A massive, centipede-like creature crawled through the forest, its plethora of legs digging into the ground as it snapped trees like matchsticks, leaving a devastated swathe in its wake. The spectre was hiding, his heart beating fast as the grotesque creature lumbered past. Matrix scoffed and quickly moved to the next prominent memory. He had seen scarier creatures; even this centipede would look cute compared to them.

This memory piqued his interest.

Wolves...werewolves, exceptionally powerful ones, with an angry red glow burning in the depths of their eyes. It seemed the spectre had meandered into their den and had been fleeing them for days. That explained his pitiful state, but it seemed he had somewhat succeeded. But why would the wolves suddenly give up the chase? Pondering this, Matrix moved onto the next memory.

Well, that explains it, Matrix thought, deciphering from the spectre's thoughts that it was the appearance of himself and his cohort that had scared them off. But what he was unsure of was how they managed to construct a working portal, albeit an imperfect one judging from the uncoordinated energy spillage. As far as Matrix knew, only gods and similar beings, like angels, could construct portals. He'd never heard of wolves doing the same.

That was yet another mystery he needed to unravel, apart from the sudden buff those wolves seemed to possess.

Matrix finally released his grip on the spectre, who plopped to the ground, panting heavily. He clutched his head in agony, asking between ragged breaths,

"Who the hell are you? And what the heck did you do to me, you bast—"

"I am the World King, and I just inspected your memories," Matrix replied, cutting the curse off at the cliff's edge of his lips. "Stay right there. I'll be back, and if you try to escape, I'll slay you faster than you can blink,"

Matrix added, as he proceeded to explain the situation to his cohort.

Another perk of his mind reading was that the memories he perceived from others subsequently became his own, so he could then teleport to the said place.

Since there was no clue as to where the headless body of Sam roamed, the best course of action was to torture answers out of their potential opponents, and probably find out their secrets while they were at it.

Matrix grabbed the spectre by the neck and lifted him with one arm, while he opened a portal with the other.

"Where are you taking me?" he wailed, his eyes darting across the other members of the cohort.

Matrix didn't even bat an eyelid as he continued to open the portal. The other members of the cohort also threw furtive glances at him, but none seemed in the mood to offer answers.

"Please, somebody answer me! I don't want to die! They're coming for me! I know you're all strong, but they're much stronger! Please!"

Matrix ignored the tirade and tossed him into the portal. He soon followed, and then everyone else.

Matrix alighted from the portal only to find the spectre fleeing from a lunging wolf. It seemed their arrival had disturbed its slumber..or something.

The spectre screamed in terror as the wolf was about to descend on him, but suddenly the air stirred, and Matrix's figure blurred. Then, the wolf's eyes suddenly lost all signs of life, its gaze staring hollow. Its corpse crumbled to the ground, its head separated from its body.

"Why did you have to bring me back here?" he muttered, afraid to face the World King.

"Hey, shut your word-hole while you still can, or I'll help you plug it with my sword. Do you want to expose us?" Se'mudara said, addressing the whimpering spectre.

"Call yourself a spectre, but you know nothing about stealth," Frenzy grumbled, scanning around.

Meanwhile, Ys was speaking. "A wolf...the pack must be nearby."

"Yes, a werewolf pack," Matrix replied. "They're in that dilapidated fortress."

Matrix and the cohort surveyed the scene, their gaze settling on what would have been a magnificent fortress, now reduced to rubble. Walls surrounding the structure had been blasted to bits, their broken remains scattered across a wide area. Even the main gate wasn't spared; the destruction was so thorough that even Matrix would have found it difficult to achieve such devastation.

The lofty tower within the fallen walls was sliced cleanly in half, likely by some horrendous blade. What once formed its upper reaches had been reduced to rubble, the work of some harrowing force.

"Whatever happened here must have been… interesting," Matrix mused.

To think that every extinct race has their homeland reduced to this, he thought.

Snapping out of his reverie, Matrix made a mental note never to let the giant, the shapeshifter, or even Se'mudara get near their respective homelands.

"Alright, everyone," he announced. "I'll be dividing you into three groups. We'll be using a pincer approach."

*

Matrix and the spectre walked through what had once been the gateway into the mansion. His eyes scanned the numerous pieces of rubble strewn across the ground as he reviewed the plan. He had grouped Se'mudara, Ys, and the Oracle together, and the Giant, Scarlet, and Frenzy formed the second group. He had deliberately split his generals between both teams, allowing them to relay information about their situations, even in the heat of battle. Despite his meticulous planning, a deep frown etched itself onto Matrix's face.

The fallen fortress's terrain offered a multitude of hiding places among the debris, creating an ideal environment for ambushes. Anyone could easily conceal themselves behind the rubble and spring out at a moment's notice. And if they truly were hiding somewhere nearby, they were doing it too well. He couldn't perceive anything – no energy signatures, no signs of life – and the silence was eerily unsettling, as if his senses had been stolen.

He would have preferred to ask the spectre if he was certain they resided here, but he himself had already witnessed it through the spectre's memories. They were definitely somewhere nearby, as his primal instincts kept sounding the alarm.

"Ah, today's going to be quite troublesome," he muttered. "I can feel it already."

The spectre, finally regaining his composure, looked up at the World King's imposing figure and summoned all his will to ask a single question. "What gave me away? No one has ever caught me like that. Even those horrifying wolves could only follow the traces I left behind."

Matrix remained silent for a few seconds, the sound of their footfalls the only noise breaking the stillness. Then he replied, "I could smell the fear wafting off of you from about a thousand paces away."

"Kind of like a predator?" the spectre inquired.

"Yes, kind of," Matrix affirmed.

Seeing that he hadn't lost his head (literally) to that question, the spectre felt inclined to continue. "I think I might have overheard some super-secret plan. That's why they wanted to end me so badly."

"Spill it," Matrix urged.

"They were planning to gather some information about besieging the Anchor Realm and ending…"

The spectre's voice seized as Matrix shoved him aside. He had almost sighted it too late: a projectile, the size of a small pin, moving with insane speed and utter silence, perfect for an assassination.

"Curses!"

Matrix realized, too late, that the projectile possessed a homing effect. He raised his hand to protect his head, but it was too late for the spectre. Matrix's initial shove had moved the spectre away, from his reach. It pierced the Matrix's arm and exploded, creating a large hole and searing his face.

Obviously, such a flimsy attack wouldn't kill Matrix. But the spectre wasn't so lucky. His head and brain matter splattered across the floor as his open eyes stared blankly, unaware of the danger that had befallen him. They had sought to kill him for a while, and they had finally succeeded.

Matrix sighed, the sentiment tinged with a rare melancholic tone. "I never even got to learn your name. But I'll avenge you...kid."

His face, as placid as ever, betrayed nothing. He stared through the hole that had appeared in his palm, a fleeting glimpse of a wolf grinning wildly from atop the severed tower before the wound healed, sealing away that infuriating face. Not for long. Matrix's arm blurred, and the god-slaying blade materialized in his grasp.

"Now...you die," he uttered, the words laced with grim finality, and he surged forward.