Reigny a few kilometers away from the battle site, his body scorched and wounded from his own attack turning against him.


    Fortunately, he had managed to hide himself after that unexpected reversal.


    He had put all his effort into escaping and using that explosion as a diversion, after he was baited by the meta-human.


    ''Fuck, I didn''t know he could reflect back my attack by that much. That was at least four times,'' he cursed inwardly.


    ''That was a close call,'' he thought.


    ''Good thing I didn''t use True Death,''he added.


    Juggernaut was able reflect back his attack four times over, and he was pretty sure that quadruple the concentration of "True Death" would put him in a permanent sleep.


    It was not a question of who''s more powerful. Using that skill head-on was akin to suicide.


    ''I need to find another way,''


    As he waited for his body to recover, his mind raced, formting the best strategy to take down the meta-human.


    He needed a new n, one that used his strengths and took advantage of Juggernaut''s weaknesses.


    ''He''s slow and not that strong,'' hethought, recalling the earlier fight.


    ''He doesn''t seem to have any other unique abilities either besides reflecting attacks. His moves are predictable too. ''


    Considering his options. Directbat was out; he''d need to be clever.


    ''If I can immobilize him, I can trap him'' he mused. ''But I''ll need to be quick .''


    Trapping Juggernaut had been his n B, and it was still the most viable.


    ''Alright, I''ll go with that n instead,'' he muttered to himself, standing up as his n began to take shape in his mind.


    However, just as he was about to move, he sensed something approaching their location, and it wasing fast.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a red blur moving through the dark sky.


    The powerful presence was radiating immense vitality. Judging from its strength, it was at least at the Demon Lord level.


    Reign quickly decided to hide his own aura even more, blending into the shadows. He crouched low, using his heightened senses to observe this new arrival.


    BOOOOOM!


    The figurended with a heavy thud, sending a shockwave through the ground.


    As the dust settled, an imposing figure emerged. It looked around, seemingly searching for something—or someone.


    mes on the highway lit up the figure and made his appearance much clearer.


    The newer had amanding presence. He wore a tight, futuristic suit that showed off his strong build. Silver and red ents decorated the suit, which featured arge red emblem on the chest.


    A long, flowing red cape added to the imposing look. His brown hair and eyes, matched with a thick mustache and beard, made him appear even more manly.


    Reign watched intently, trying to gauge the intentions of this newer.


    Did ite for Juggernaut or something else entirely?


    ''Another meta-human? What the heck is going on?'' Reign thought, noticing that both Juggernaut and the neer had the same type of vitality.


    ''First, that ice woman, and now this. How many meta-humans are in this city?'' he wondered. This information wasn''t in any of the documents he had read.


    ''I thought this would be an easy job to level up, but Lilith just sent me into a warzone,'' he gritted his teeth in annoyance. ''I''ll make sure to teach her a lesson when I get back.''


    He continued to watch from the shadows as the newer surveyed the area.


    The presence of another meta-human meant trouble, and Reign knew he had to be extra careful.


    ''This changes everything,'' he mused, his mind racing.


    On the highway


    Juggernaut looked at the neer with a smirk.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding both arrogant and friendly. "I thought you''d still be sleeping. You''re not much help at night, after all."


    The neer raised an eyebrow and gave Juggernaut a half-smile.


    "Nice to see you too," he said, clearly not impressed but still amused.


    "Where is the intruder?" the newer asked.


    Juggernaut shrugged and smirked. "He''s already dead. I took care of him. He was too weak to be a real challenge,"


    The neer raised an eyebrow and nced at Juggernaut''s bare form. "Too weak? Then why are you naked?"


    "I love being naked," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. "It''s liberating."


    "Did you even find the location of M-0015? What happened to her?" the neer asked sharply.


    "Maybe she''s dead?" Juggernaut replied with an arrogant tone.


    "There''s no way someone you could kill so easily could have beat her. She was way more powerful than us twobined. If she could control her power, she''d be one of the best."


    Juggernaut''s expression shifted from pride to difort.


    "I—I haven''t found her yet... And I killed that guy already," he said, his voice faltering slightly.


    The neer shook his head.


    "There''s no time to waste. Finding her is a priority." He began to hover, preparing to take off.


    "Hey, take me with you!" Juggernaut called out.


    The neer nced at Juggernaut for a moment, then sighed and offered his hand.


    They flew through the air together, heading toward theboratory.


    In the distance.


    ''Damn it. I need to catch up to Wick,'' Reign cursed inwardly, ncing toward the direction where they had fled.


    It was the same direction from which the flying meta-human came from.


    A bad feeling settled in his stomach. Something might have happened to Wick.


    He didn''t care about Aljon, but Wick was his first pet in this world.


    The thought that something might have gone wrong with him or that he might be in danger was enough to trigger Reign''s frustration.


    ''I need to go now,''


    With his partly healed body, he moved through the forest. His bones melded in the dark, making him almost invisible in the shadows.


    As he moved closer, his unease grew stronger.


    ''Damn it, if they did something to Wick, I''ll bury everyone involved!'' he thought, gritting his teeth in anger.


    Reign moved through the forest, tracking the path of broken branches and pushed-over nts that showed someone had rushed through here.


    The forest began to thin out, and he spotted a small clearing up ahead.


    His senses were on high alert. He slowed his pace, moving cautiously towards the edge of the clearing.


    Reign crouched behind a tree, scanning the area.


    There was no immediate sign of the two, but the evidence suggested that his dog had indeed been here recently.


    "Wick, where are you?" Reign shouted, frustration mingling with concern.


    "WOOF!" A distant sound echoed through the forest.


    Reign, recognizing it, felt a wave of relief.


    He quickly followed the sound and soon reached a small cave.Inside, he saw them camping.


    Aljon was momentarily stunned by Reign''s appearance, his eyes widening at the sight of the bone figure.


    Wick, on the other hand, didn''t hesitate.


    The moment he saw his master, he jumped up on all fours.


    WOOOF!


    WOOOF!


    WOOOF!


    With a joyous bark, Wick threw himself into Reign''s embrace, his tail wagging furiously.


    Reign, despite the events that happened, managed a reassuring pat.


    He held Wick close, grateful to find hispanion safe.


    "Good boy, good boy," he said, his voice softening as he petted his beloved dog.