50 Book 3 Chapter 46 (1/2)

Jason moved with confidence, each step bringing him towards his goal. His will focused on one singular purpose: break this tower, brick by brick, piece by piece. He'd crush any obstacle and slay any monster. The will to conquer the world coursed through his body, filling him with endless strength.

Not much time passed before he returned to the haven. The others in his team wouldn't be back for hours, so he went to find Peter. Jason's voice boomed throughout the sanctuary. ”Peter, buddy, I got a present for you!”

Peter's head popped out from a window in bewilderment. Something was off about Jason's tone. Regardless, he stopped what he was doing approached Jason, eyeing the motionless body. ”Who's that? Why does he look familiar…?”

Jason used one hand to lift Cay for Peter to get a better look. Sure enough, Peter's face went grim as soon as he recognized Cay. ”This bastard finally showed himself?”

The closest people to Walter were Roy and Peter. After Roy healed Walter's soul, the man retired from the tower, and the matter with Cay ended. Not for Peter. He pulled every string he could to find Cay's whereabouts. Alas, the assassin vanished, as if he no longer existed.

Jason tossed Cay to the ground as if disposing of trash. ”I'm pretty sure he's been here longer than us; look at his runes.”

Peter gasped when he took a closer look. ”Six runes?! How did he enter before us?”

With the time since this floor opened, it simply wasn't possible to hunt so many demons. Finding them was more problematic than killing them. If Cay had an entire alliance backing him, then getting seven, eight, or nine runes was plausible, but he was alone. Peter made sure of that.

”He's a demon, ain't he?” Jason shrugged, not caring much for a reason.

Peter gave Jason a once over. ”You're lucky to catch him by surprise.”

In Peter's mind, Cay was a top assassin, and with six runes, Jason was no match if Cay got the first strike. Jason explained casually, ”He caught me by surprise, man. I almost died. If not for a miracle happening, I wouldn't be here right now.”

Peter nodded, only to notice the lack of a familiar creature on Jason's shoulder. ”Where's Tank?”

”She's dead, for now.” Jason glared down at Cay.

Jason met Peter's gaze. ”I should be sad, right? But I'm not. I have the utmost confidence I can revive her.”

At that moment, before Peter could release a sigh of relief, the air shuddered, and the ground trembled under the pressure of Jason's spirit. Peter felt a powerful force press down on his body, making his bones scream in pain.