We finally reached the city’s border. We get out of the jeep and take off our prison guard attire. I summon my gun and point it at the informant.
“From now on, we do not know each other, you got that??”
“I-I understand!” said the informant, raising both hands wide open.
“Leave this place and don’t look back even once. I will dispose of this car and the clothes myself.”
The informant nods and leaves the place, heading into the city.
. . . . .
“He’s finally gone.”
I put the clothes on the car’s seats and walk away from it. I pointed my gun at the fuel tank of the car and shot it.
*BANG*
*BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM*
The car explodes into pieces, and I immediately run away from the location. I was expecting the same border fences as the ones where I got caught previously, but there is no border at all into the city. Strange, but I pay no further attention to it.
Now this is the interesting part: where should I go from now on? I don’t really know how to survive on my own. I grew up at an orphanage after all, where all of my necessities were taken care of by them. So, maybe I should secure food and shelter first.
I walk into the city, where half of it is completely in ruin and abandoned because of the civil war. To my left and right were tall buildings with holes and cracks in them. Some of them even collapsed and filled the road with their debris, blocking land access for vehicles and civilians.
*BWOOSSHHH*
But not for most Believers. I activate my Vein armor and jump atop the collapsed building in my way.
“. . .”
I was expecting to see more of the ruined city, but instead I saw corpses, human flesh, bones, and blood everywhere. I guess people who were inside the building were all crushed on this side.
*!*
“URGH!!”
I immediately cover my nose from the horrible stench that immediately penetrates sharply into my nose. It seems like this particular building was destroyed a few days ago, seeing all the thick blood smudges on the asphalt below.
*THUD*
I jumped down from the collapsed building and tried to walk past the dirty road while covering my nose.
“UPH!”
I almost puked seeing all the blood and corpses everywhere on the road, but I held back my puke. I keep walking and walking further into the city. After walking for about 15 minutes, the road finally has fewer blood and human corpses on it. I keep walking and walking, and the stench has become more bearable by the second.
*!!!*
*BANG*
My danger sense suddenly activates, and I jump out of my spot. Someone shot me, and the bullet hit the ground.
*!!*
But my danger sense is still active, and the bullet bounces off the ground towards me.
*GRAB*
“URGH!!”
I caught the bullet with my bare hand, but it hurt just a tiny bit because the way I caught it was simply putting my palm forward and closing it as soon as the bullet landed.
*SSSSSSHHHHHHH*
The bullet disappears, only leaving smoke on my hand. I landed 2 meters away from where I was walking. I look to the front and see no one.
“Where did this come from?”
*THUD*
*!!*
Someone suddenly appears directly behind me, pointing a gun at point-blank range at the back of my head.
“Don’t move or I’ll shoot!”
“. . .”
It was a female’s voice, and I obeyed her instruction.
“Who are you and what are you doing in this place?”
“I was simply exploring the city. Is that illegal or something?”
I lied to her simply because telling the truth in this world is somehow the wrong choice. I ended up being tortured for telling the truth about what happened to me back in prison.
“Heh! Can’t you come up with a better lie? This part of the city is completely closed off from the other side, and no one can just ‘explore’ the city as if they’re a tourist. I have also been observing you from afar. You walked through a road full of blood and corpses without fear. You only hate the stench in your nose. It’s as if you’re used to the reality of people dying left and right.”
“Wow! So, you’re a stalker, huh?”
“Silence! One more careless sentence, and I’ll put a hole through your skull!”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Wow, so bold! But have you noticed something below your feet?”
*??*
The girl was obviously cautious of what I said, but at the same time, she didn’t wanna risk me making a sudden move if she were to avert her eyes away from me.
“Nice bluff, but I’m not falling for it!”
“Welp, don’t blame me, then!”
*SIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG*
*!!!*
“URGH!!”
A flashbang suddenly explodes, blinding her eyes and deafening her ears. I tossed down a flashbang underneath her when I noticed her presence, creeping up from me earlier. I immediately jumped out of the way, turned around, and when I was upside down in the air, I summoned my gun and shot her shoulder, all in one smooth sequence.
*BANG*
*!!*
But I saw her dodging the bullet even though she was still closing her eyes and covering her ears.
“(Huh?)”
I landed five meters from her. I stand up from my landing position and see that the veins on her entire body are also glowing just like mine, though her veins are glowing yellow, unlike mine.
Upon further inspection, she seems to be the same age as I am. She has long, smooth black hair that reaches her back. She is wearing a gray, worn-down tank top, a pair of dark brown children's jeans, and a pair of worn-down blue sandals. She is about 120cm tall and weighs around 34kg. She is holding a white sniper rifle with a very futuristic design, with metallic black inner parts that pop out here and there across its entire design.
“Are you also one of those people who has a superpower as well?”
*?!*
As the girl was still trying to regain her vision and hearing, she still heard my question, though really quietly in her ears.
“Y-You don’t even know what a Faith power is?”
“Faith power?? Is that what this power is called?”
“Who are you really?? It’s clear that you yourself are a Believer, yet you don’t know what a Faith power is?”
“Belie. . .ver?”
The girl has now clearly recovered from the effects of the flashbang. She finally opens her eyes, and I see a beautiful pair of yellow, sharp eyes.
“You. . . don’t even know the term Believer? Yet you are one yourself? Blond boy, you are either so stupid trying to fool me by saying you don’t know basic knowledge, or someone very suspicious with unclear intentions towards me.”
*!*
“Hold on a second, why would I have any sort of intentions towards you when I don’t even know who you are?”
“Yeah, the guy that tried to kill me last time said something similar.”
*!*
She points her gun at me once again.
“I am not falling for this again!”
*BANG*
She shot me again with her sniper rifle. I jump up high, dodging it narrowly, and I fall towards her. I unsummon my gun and summon my baton. I was supposed to thrust my baton at her as I fell, but something pierced my left shoulder from behind.
*ZRSSH*
“URRGGHH!!”
It was the previous bullet that she shot at me that I 100% sure I dodged, yet it just pierced through me somehow. It hurts a bit, but compared to the bruises in my body, it feels very insignificant. The girl below points her sniper rifle at me.
*BANG*
And shot me without hesitation.
*CTANG*
I blocked her shot with my baton, and her bullet breaks apart, though my baton was also sent flying away from my grip. I grip my right fist instead, and I swing it towards the side of her head as I fall towards her.
*DAHK*
She blocks my punch with her sniper rifle, and I land in front of her. I immediately duck down and sweep her legs.
*DAHK*
“KYAGH!”
She stumbled into the air by the force of my kick.
*BAMM*
*GRAHK*
“KYARRGHH!”
I quickly stand up and grab her face, and slam her down towards the asphalt below.
*THUD THUD*
Her sniper rifle was thrown away to the side. I quickly pressed down on her body by sitting on her stomach. I hardened the grip on her face.
“URGGHH!!”
“Okay, please tell me, who are you?”
“. . .”
“Do I need to torture you to?? I am so sick of being doubted and questioned so much previously, so I am really not in a good mood right now.”
I summon my gun and point it directly at her forehead.
“Tell me honestly, unless you wanna die foolishly right here, pretty girl?!” said I, mockingly praising her beautiful appearance.
“Heh? So, you find me pretty, huh, pretty boy?”
“I don’t think so, actually! You’re like the first girl my age that I’ve seen ever since I escaped from the prison out in the desert.”
*!*
“You escaped from a prison? The closest one near the city was the one out in the desert. YOU ESCAPED FROM THAT PRISON?? ALL BY YOURSELF?”
“I had some help, but I guess it’s 80% my own effort, so yes!!”
“. . .”
The girl thinks for herself silently for a while.
“Oi, tell me who you really are? Don’t try to dodge this question by not speaking!”
“Very well! I accept you, blond boy!”
“. . .Huh?”
I was confused. What kind of reply was that? She accepted me? What?
“I’ll tell you everything about me! But let’s head back to my place first, blond boy!”
“Yeah, I am not falling for that!”
*KLAK*
I was ready to pull the trigger on my gun to kill her, until she suddenly started blabbing about herself.
“My name is Diva. My last name is Valkryie. I am an orphan whose all of my friends have been killed because of this war. Now, I am all alone, and I am simply trying to survive, living in this part of the city. There are other survivors who also live across this part of the city, and they are trying to kill each other at first glance to salvage as many resources as possible for themselves. I myself have killed two other people when they tried to kill me first.”
“. . .”
I quickly pull away my gun from her forehead, and I stand up. I walk 50cm away from her and point my gun at her once again.
“Alright, continue! What do you mean by accepting me?”
“I have a goal, and I am gathering people to my cause! And I want you on the team!”
“What kinda goal?”
“Destroying this accursed country to the ground!!” said the girl with a serious glare in her eyes.
*!*
“I awakened my Faith power during my life and death struggle against the first guy who tried to kill me when I was salvaging food from a nearby abandoned convenience store. I shot him in the head quickly and won the struggle. I was wounded, but I’ve already recovered from that, as that happened around a year ago.”
The girl continued her story before I could respond.
“So, you say you’ve been attacked twice while living in this part of the city? Only two attacks this whole time?”
“Correct! I was being very careful when I was out salvaging for food! I am very weak in hand-to-hand combat, as you just experienced yourself. I couldn’t win a direct physical struggle, and that also became more obvious if you noticed what my Armament is.”
“. . .Armament?”
*!*
“Again, you don’t know anything about Faith power, don’t you?”
I shake my head.
“I just awakened this power earlier today. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since then. I have no knowledge of anything outside what I am capable of, somehow!”
“That’s one of the rules of Faith power! Every Believer will gain knowledge of every single ability that they have in their arsenal.”
“I see. Say, how many people have you gathered??”
“Just you! And that is if you even want to join my cause!”
“Eh? Just me? How many members do you wish for?”
“. . .Around four or five, I think! A small elite squad that can take down an entire country discreetly before they even realize they were being attacked.”
“. . .”
I don’t know what I should do. In my honest opinion, what she is offering is very desirable for me. For I, too, wanted to destroy this stupid, garbage, retarded country for waging war against itself and making its own citizens suffer. There’s a high chance that she is bluffing. I have no way of checking the authenticity of her story or disproving it.
I think silently for a while.
. . . . . . .
I unsummon my gun from my hand. I’ve decided to make my decision.
“I. . . currently have no direction in my life. I escaped from that hellish prison, and I don’t know what to do from now on! So, I guess, I accept your invitation, for now!”
*!*
“REALLY? Whoooooo!! I am so glad that I don’t have to either kill you or be killed by you! Would’ve been a waste of talent, don’t you think?”
“Yeah! I can see some value in your. . . Faith power abilities!”
“Oh great! Then welcome to the team!!”
*!*
The girl walks towards me and offers me a handshake. I take her hand and shake it.
“Pleased to be in the team! By the way, does this team have a name?”
The girl smiles at me.
“It does! From now on, we are a Scorpio!”
