Maids VS Apocalypse

’Smells weird...’

The warm air and strange stench were the first things Mark noticed upon entering the large hall. It was one of the most well-known facilities of each underground shelter.

The purpose behind it was to hold events for the people who might be indefinitely held inside. That clearly wasn’t what the Red Hoods decided to use it for, however.

"Hey," Franco muttered from the side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little nervous."

Mark curled up the corners of his mouth. He had more than one reason to be nervous, chief among them being that it felt like they had just entered the boss room. He could see a man in red ropes standing on the podium at the very front and something told him that they would soon be fighting him.

Ramsay and the others explained what would likely happen going forward. Since the Red Hoods are after the Awakened, they will use Soul Pressure to weed out the Dormants and those with weak psychic potential. Those who don’t pass out will be taken away while the rest will be tossed into one of the Rifts leading to the Underworld in order to forcefully Awaken them.

Elya and Franco were Soldier Rank Awakened while Mark had the Mind and Soul of a Knight Rank. The three of them didn’t have to worry about passing out but to make it so the Red Hoods wouldn’t suspect anything they planned on pretending to struggle a little.

This was the second part of the plan. While Ramsay and Alex infiltrate through a different route, the trio passes the selection and reaches the same place. It was a little difficult to believe that they made it this far.

Once the crowd of civilians reached the front of the hall, the man in red robes stepped forward, causing Mark to frown. The bastard was handsome. Way too handsome. Long silky hair, sharp brows, clear obsidian eyes. His features had a touch of femininity to them but his height and build balanced it out.

He was undoubtedly of Asian origin and the robes he wore pointed to him being Chinese, seeing that he looked like the average xianxia protagonist.

’I have been thinking this for a while now, but... isn’t every guy around me way too handsome?’

He couldn’t think of anyone who was on his level or blew him in terms of appearance, not even Ben who looked like he weighed two tons.

’Well, I’m not that bad looking either...’

Just as that thought crossed his mind a palpable tension spread through the vast hall, like an illusory hand pressing on his head and pushing him down. The people in front of him went down one after the other. Some collapsed where they stood while others fell to their knees and struggled to breathe before following the rest.

Franco winced and pretended to be in pain while Elya held her hands to her chest with a truly terrified look. If he hadn’t known it was an act from the start Mark would have been convinced she was indeed a horrified little girl.

’I can’t lose to them!’

Mark was about to put on an act himself when his eyes met those of the man on the podium. The pressure suddenly vanished from the rest of the hall and concentrated on a single point.

"You..." The man’s face twisted as he fixed him with a wide-eyed glare.

It was a look of recognition infused with so much hatred that Mark couldn’t help stepping back. He was sure this was his first time meeting him yet the robed man was looking at him as if they were mortal enemies.

’Did he see through us?’

Before he could speculate about the reason he saw the halo forming over the man’s head and the flames gathering in his hands.

"DIE!!!"

The robed man held his palm up and a torrent of azure flames shot toward the still stunned Mark. A head of orange hair appeared in front of him just then and the flames dispersed as if they struck an invisible glass wall.

Elya had leaped to the front of the crowd with her hands held up making it appear as if that alone was what pushed the flames back. The scared girl from before was gone and an enraged one took her place.

"Bastard!" She shouted. "Do you intend on burning them alive!!?"

The fire dispersed and the podium came into sight again. The robed man looked even more enraged, his handsome face now that of a red demon.

"Peace Keepers..." He forced the words between gritted teeth. "How dare you..."

Mark had yet to grasp what just happened. If Elya hadn’t blocked that attack just now a lot of people would’ve died in an instant.

’Hold on...’

Mark’s eyes gradually widened. The warm air inside the hall, the peculiar stench. Seeing the azure flames, a disturbing thought formed in his mind.

"YOU!" The robed man suddenly shouted, snapping him back to reality. "Who are you? How dare you wear that face!!?"

With their gazes locked Mark knew he was the one being addressed. He was in a daze after coming to a disturbing realization but the animosity directed at him helped clear his mind, though it filled it with unbelievable rage as well.

Mark drew his brows together as his expression darkened. The tension pressing down on him disappeared as a far stronger force surged out and headed for the man on the podium. His hatred-filled face twisted with surprise and he suddenly collapsed to his knees.

"You..." Mark’s voice shook slightly as he spoke. "The people who came before us... what did you do to them?"

Elya pursed her lips and kept her gaze forward. Franco’s expression darkened as he glanced at the youth. He then summoned his sickles and faced the podium.

"Haha..." a quiet laugh echoed in the silence, getting louder by the second. "Weak... far too weak..."

With a hand on his right knee, the robed man slowly rose to his feet. His head remained hanging and his shoulders trembled. He held a hand to his face and continued laughing for a while before abruptly straightening up.

"I see, I see it now..." The hatred lingered in his eyes as he gazed at the youth, though the anger was gone. "The Peace Keepers took you in. It all makes sense now."

Mark’s anger faded as confusion moved in to take its place. It was becoming clearer that the man in red robes recognized him from somewhere despite the chances of their paths crossing before being nonexistent.

Even if they did meet somewhere, Mark didn’t think he would forget someone with such a distinct appearance, especially if he did something that would earn him such immense hatred.

"Do I know you?"

The robed man’s eyes narrowed.

"A worthless failure like you? You should have never lived long enough for that to happen."

Fire condensed in the man’s hands as he prepared to attack again. Elya drew out her broad sword and switched back into her uniform.

"Newbie!" She glanced over her shoulder. "How the hell do you know this guy!!?"

"I don’t!" Mark gritted his teeth. "I’ve never been away from this world, remember?"

Mark’s first thought was that he was being mistaken for someone else, but the answer the robed man gave showed that he knew who he was. Mark could already see how things were going to progress so he quickly made a pause sign with his hands.

"Stop! Don’t start the fighting just yet!"

He didn’t expect the enemy to listen to him, but just as the Red Hoods that were at the back of the podium came rushing toward the hall the robed man held a hand up and stopped them. He opened his mouth to say something but Mark beat him to it, not wanting to waste the chance.

"As you can see I’m completely unaware of what is happening here so I would really appreciate it if you explain why you are angry at me!"

Whether they won the upcoming battle or lost it, Mark knew for sure that he wouldn’t get an explanation until quite some time had passed. He wasn’t about to let happen so, even if there was a high likelihood that his request would be denied, he decided to make it anyway.

"I do not care about your appreciation!" The robed man turned his head to the underlings behind him. "I will take care of him. You handle the other two."

Mark was about to ask again when a loud bang sounded from behind him. A Red Hood smashed through the door he and the others entered from and the room behind it came into sight. The walls were painted crimson with blood, so much so that one wouldn’t notice the shredded men in red scattered all over the place.

The sight contrasted with the elegant figure standing at its center. A frilly white apron overlaid a long black dress. Silver hair flowed on either side, a faint sheen reflecting on its surface due to the glowing halo pinned in the air right above it. A dark-gray spear pointed to the floor, its head a long white blade made from mystical energy instead of metal.

"Lara..."