Chef in the Apocalypse

The battlefield had plunged into a state of relentless turmoil, slowly ebbing into a tumultuous silence. The lifeless forms of monsters and humans lay strewn about, forever stilled. In the face of overwhelming numerical odds, the humans had managed to persist through this unrelenting onslaught.

This was especially apparent when Jayce’s faction descended from the city walls, stepping onto the vast plains. Empowered by Jayce’s Executive Chef skill, they moved with a demonic ferocity, cleaving through the monstrous ranks with abandon.

Colin, in particular, manifested an unparalleled ferocity, taking point in the vanguard and carving a bloody swath toward the rear of the plains. Encircled by savage creatures, he seemed akin to an asura, as if endowed with six arms, ruthlessly dismantling any foe in his path.

After killing the Arachnid, Jayce traveled along the ramparts, his countenance still grave. Having seen Paul brutally murdered in front of him by the Mantis while he watched on helplessly, his mind was not in a good state. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Any monsters that remained on the wall became an outlet for his icy fury, his grim expression becoming the last thing they saw before being sent to the afterlife. Like a vengeful angel, Jayce disposed of the beasts upon the city walls silently and with brutal efficiency.

Gripping his Bloodfang dagger tightly, Jayce appeared behind an Ape monster who was charging towards one of the melee units. With ruthless efficiency his blade struck its vitals, stabbing through its chest and piercing its heart right through in one swift motion.

Not paying any more attention to the Ape which had now crumbled into an unmoving heap of flesh at his feet, Jayce looked around in search for his next target. It was then that he noticed Macie, staring at him from around 20 meters away.

Suddenly, like the time they had first met, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, exposing the whites of her eyes. In the next moment, he felt the same sensation of being peered at by a higher existence, as if all of his secrets were laid bare.

For some reason, he felt even more insignificant than before. But how could that be? With his current strength, he was comparable to the stats that he had at level 70 in his previous life.

The sensation lasted for around 10 seconds, before it slowly faded away. He then saw Macie begin to fall to the ground, having lost consciousness. With a burst of speed Jayce quickly arrived, catching her limp body in his arms and saving her from face planting.

At a loss, he looked around only to see Heath, Lianna and Dion walking his way. "Lianna, can you help?" Jayce asked, his voice sounding extremely hoarse from yelling orders over the loud sounds of battle.

"Ah." Heath and Lianna both rushed over after seeing who was in his arms. Heath seemed especially agitated, however after Jayce gave him a quick rundown, he quickly calmed down.

Lianna put her hands on the woman, her face showing the visible signs of exhaustion. It was evident that she had been doing her best on the back lines, allowing everyone to fight valiantly while she took care of the wounded.

Jayce took the opportunity to ask Heath some questions about Macie, considering he had never had the chance to meet her in his previous life. "Does this happen regularly?" He asked quietly.

Heath shook his head, "No, this is probably the fourth time this has happened." he admitted, looking slightly worried.

He continued, "I’m not sure what she’s told you, but I cannot say any words aloud. She made me promise."

Jayce frowned, ’What is such a big secret that she won’t even let her husband speak it aloud?’

It was then that the woman in question began to stir awake from within Jayce’s arms. Then her eyes suddenly snapped open, looking directly at Jayce with deep fear.

’Jayce! It’s horrible, please don’t go. You need to escape’

Jayce heard her voice resonate within his mind, startling him greatly. He was filled with confusion, her unsettling words provoking an instinctive reaction to reject them. Escape? The tide of battle had been turned, Colin and his faction were now on the offensive.

Not only that, he was almost as strong as he was in his previous life, at least when it came to raw stats. So why should he escape now?

As if reading his mind, Macie’s terrified eyes stared into his own before her voice rang out in his mind once more. ’It’s not enough. Even with your raw stats you won’t be able to take down that monster.’

"W-What do you mean it’s not enough?" Jayce couldn’t help but reply aloud, feeling stifled by the words.

’They have interfered... I don’t know why.’ Her voice trailed off, seemingly distracted. Her words had an underlying feeling of hopelessness, as if they were destined to die.

They? Interfered? Could it be that Rubick and his colleagues had interfered with their battle? Jayce’s mind whirred with countless possibilities, yet none of them seemed to make sense to him. He opened his mouth as if to reply, yet no words came out.

’Run Jayce. Take whoever you can and run, there’s no hope.’ Macie spoke into his mind, this time her words sounded resigned to fate.

Jayce paused for a moment, considering the words. If he didn’t know what Macie’s power was by now he would have been an idiot. Clearly her abilities allowed her either glimpses into the future and past, or the ability to read the strings of fate.

He thought carefully, before whispering "What if I could get stronger?"

Macie’s eyes lit up, but was then replaced by confusion ’I thought you were already as strong as you could get?’

Jayce shook his head, "I still have some tricks up my sleeve." With that, he opened up the faction menu and began to spam invites to everyone in the vicinity.

Faction: Hell’s Kitchen

Leader: Let Me Cook

Vice Leader: Divine Shield

Faction Level: 2

Members: 78/150

Average level: 26