<strong>Day 36 – 12:09 AM – Barangay Pocion I, Real, Quezon</strong>


    Mark wielded the odd looking weapon with both his hands. This was not the first time he used this weapons, all these weapons had been tested back before he left the base while doing a supply run alone. Still, he had not used these weapons in an all-out battle with other humans. This was why he took out weapon after weapon. After this battle, he would storm his brain for issues and work of modifying the [Darkness Shade] set further.


    Still, it was obvious that the veteran mercenary, Ogre, was taken aback and was confused as to why their enemy would use such an inconvenient to use weapon. The torso sized shield after being attached to the almost two-meter long whip de looked totally like an oversized il. In terms of pure power, this kind of weapon was strong but in terms of speed, convenience and effort needed to swing it, it lost to all other cold weapons he had seen before even abroad.


    On the other hand, Drake felt even more furious. He also realized the deficiency of such weapon but if felt like their enemy was underestimating them too much to use that odd and hard to use weapon.


    Mark also knew of those deficiencies and would not be able to actually use this as such. However, he had his own methods to eliminate such deficiencies.


    Holding the [de Star] behind him through his right side, Mark kicked forward his left foot that was on front of the other.


    PUFF!


    Mark vanished into the ck mist that sent the remaining ouws into extreme vignce. He then appeared in front of stone skinned man. The [de Star] was already on full swing. Using the eleration he could get from the subspace created from his ability, he swung the weapon inside the subspace and appeared at the moment the swing was about to finish.


    Without any chance to dodge and also due to his stone skin ability hindering his movements, the ouw was hit squarely on his waist by the edge of the shield. The stone skin ability of the ouw prevented his body from being bisected by the des at the edge of the shield but the impact of the hit obviously churned his organs.


    Despite the looks of the [Defier], its actual weight was around six kilos even without the other weapons. It was all due to the mechanisms in the shield that it umted that much weight in its small looking body.


    The ouw''s body was hit straight with a lump of metal that heavy at the speed of a racecar. The ouw slumped on his knees and started to vomit all what he had eaten earlier together with clumps of thick blood.


    "Big Brother!"


    The man with fast hands immediately came to rescue the stone skinned man. However, the shield already appeared in front of him making him jump back by reflex. He managed to dodge the attack and the shield swung past by his side. At the moment he jumped back, two of the other elites rushed forwards taking advantage that the shield had already been swung away.


    With the shield and the whip de at the center, the fast handed ouw together with the other two ran along the sides of the whip de as they aimed for Mark.


    At that moment, Mark suddenly twisted the whip de and pulled it back mid swing. The swing of the shield stopped midair but it would not easilyeback even if pulled that way and that reason bolstered the courage of the three to hasten their charge. Still, they underestimated the shield that they ran past through.


    The whip de retracted causing several clicking sounds inside the [Defier]. Before the three ouws charging at Mark could know what happened, they lost the feelings of their bodies and fell down on the ground at the same time. Not only them fell but another elite ouw that was about to follow the attack of the three. Behind them, shield had already lost the des on its edge. As for the des, some of them were embedded on the ground while some were embedded on the bodies of the ouws that had just fallen down.


    The moment Mark pulled back the whip de, the mechanism of the shield tounch the des on its edge activated which hit the bodies of the ouws without them knowing. Then, Mark pulled the shield back to him and also caused des to return to the shield. Each of the des had two almost invisible metallic tread attached to them and the shield. The mechanism was like a grappling hook and the hook this time which were the des would be pulled back to theuncher due to the threads.


    "DIE!!!"


    Drake shouted as he bolted off towards Mark before he was able to fully retrieve his weapon.


    There were only three of them left. If he, the boss, still did not make his move, they would surely be annihted here without a fight. Who knows how a dangerous monster appeared here and his men had gotten into conflict with this monster but it was already toote to retreat. If there was someone to me, it was that Observer that did not give them urate information about the enemy.


    Not only that he did not manage to get revenge, he was even at the risk of dying right now.


    As he charged towards Mark, Drake''s body grewrger and became covered with reddish scales, his eyes turned golden in color and his pupils became slits like a snake. His tongue elongated and split into two and red scaly wings burst forth from his back. His nails turned into ws and the temperature of his throat became higher and higher that when he opened his mouth, it had a sort of glow. From his running stance, he started to glide towards Mark in a very fast manner.


    Living up to his name, Drake, his ability was [Dragonification]. He turned into half-man and half-dragon in almost an instant.


    Drake tried to punch Mark with his right fist but Mark had already vanished once more. Without the target, his punch swept through Mark''s previous position down to the ground. His red scaled fist hit the ground a creating a loud boom with a half-foot deep and a foot wide crater left on the ground.


    Mark was a bit surprised to the ouw leader''s transformation. He was not just some [Lizardman] like Chameleon but an actual [Dragonewt]. Still, the stronger the enemy, the faster he needed to deal with him. Not to mention that this guy had wings and could escape by flying. After his weapon was retrieved inside the subspace, he appeared once more but further away from Drake in his [Dragonewt] form.


    This time that Mark appeared, his weapon had a different form once more. The whip des retracted to its original shape while the [Defier] was not on the tip of the de anymore but actually just above the handle of the sword. The de was pierced through the shield where the shield looked more like an overlyrge hand guard.


    Before Drake managed to see his figure, Mark pulled the sword to the back of his neck and did a very wide and every strong wave of his sword. As he waved the sword, the shield shifted positions from the guard of the sword to the tip. The moment he stopped the sh midair in front of him, a whirling sound was already presenting from the [Defier] it then detached and flew forwards Drake. As it detached and flew forwards, it started to spin horizontally and the speed of the shield''s spin started to pick up.


    Midway, the shield released another plethora of clicking sounds as it all released its des along with the almost invisible threads. The des and threads followed the momentum of the spin and started to create a top like effect as it spun on the air.


    By the time that the shield connected with Drake''s body, the shield was already spinning as fast as a chainsaw. The impact and the speed of the spin caused arge opening on the scales of Drake''s side despite how his scales should have been able to block bullets. Following the pain, Drake felt constricted and was not able to move. His body fell down from being out of bnce. When he realized that he fell, he sawyers uponyers of thread and des tying up his body. He tried to move but he ended up letting the des and sharp thread to slice up his scales.


    Mark was surprised as to how sturdy Drake''s scales were and how these scales saved Drake from turning into grinded meat. Still, he was caught by the threads and was for sure, not going to live through the night.


    The moment Mark caught Drake, he heard a sighing from the side. He turned his head and saw Ogre already snapping the neck of the remaining ouw. Ogre then turned to Mark, his stern but helpless face was apparent. It was as if he was going to deal with a troublesome matterter on.


    "What''s your agenda for that?"


    Mark paused and asked Ogre while pointing at the ouw with a broken neck lying on the ground. Since the start, even though Ogre was emitting a dangerous feeling on him, he never took a hostile stance against Mark. In fact, this whole time, all he did was advice Drake to retreat.


    Ogre did not reply but took out a card, then a handkerchief and wiped his face. After wiping his face, his countenance changed. His burly and tall body was still the same but he had a younger looking Caucasian face about just two or three years older than Mark.


    He approached Mark and handed the card without any hostility and even in a friendly manner. Mark took the card with a calm face. If it was just a farce, he could just disappear in a puff of smoke.


    The card was an ID of a US soldier.


    "I''m Jones Galley. I''m a mercenary but I''m always working for the US military that they gave me that identification."


    Jones extended his hand for a handshake but of course, there was no way Mark would extend his. The guy that had just introduced himself as a US mercenary could not help but awkwardly retract his hand.


    "OGRE! YOU TRAITOR!"


    Drake shouted with difficulty since the threads around his mouth and jaw would cut his scales and lips.


    To that shout, Jones just sneered.


    "I''m not with you people since the start. You had to use your connections to hire me but that is within the plot. I''ve been sent to a mission to monitor you people from the Death Coast Settlement and I have been sending reports regrly to the Port of Real Military settlement. Actually, this time, I''m instructed to dy you people. The soldiers will being soon after all. I received that a group of four was missing and you criminals were the suspect. And then, you organized this operation which coincides with the details about the missing group. How do you think that your operation got too dyed up to thiste? Remember how I insisted that the ten trusted men of yours to stay behind and let theckeys do the job?"


    Drake''s eyes turned wide to the realization that came into him. The ouw leader coughed up blood due to his anger and fainted.


    Jones then turned at Mark.


    "Still, I don''t expect to find someone as strong as you here. Is that missing group under your care? If that is the case, then thank you. Your country''s military assets are sorelycking. Even the current manpower was too weak that they every group they could ask for assistance was too precious. Also, what are those weapons you are using? Are those made by you? How are they working?"


    "Can I have a question?"


    Mark interjected with a frown.


    "What is it?"


    "Can you shut up?"


    Mark then walked towards Drake. In a swift movement of his arm, the unconscious ouw was beheaded.


    "Hey! What are you doing?!"


    Mark ignored the shouting of the self-proimed mercenary. He still did not totally believe him but ording to what Jones said, the military would being soon. If that happened, then, he was speaking the truth.


    One by one, Mark beheaded the corpses of the elite ouws after he retrieved the [Defier]. He then left the vicinity carrying nine, tied up heads under the bbergasted gaze of Jones.


    Five minutes or soter, military vehicles arrived and stopped near the highway. The iing soldiers were received and guided by Jones.