Chapter 9: Chamber incident
The doors of the chamber began to open slowly, and the group waited patiently until they were fully open. They stood outside for a few moments before stepping into the dimly lit chamber, where the glowing orb brightened their paths.
"I don't see him anywhere. He's probably in the belly of the mutant," Aisha commented after examining the area.
"No, I don't think so," David muttered, a look of disbelief etched on his face, his gaze fixed on a certain part of the room.
A figure could be seen standing motionless several meters away from them.
"Who the hell is that?" Aisha blurted out with a puzzled expression.
"It's Silas," David muttered in disbelief after stretching forth his orb and recognizing the figure.
"How is he still alive?" Aisha questioned.
Silas just stood there, meters away, his gaze fixed on the floor, showing no sign of movement. It felt as if he were a living statue.
"What's he doing standing there? Why isn't he moving or saying anything?" Aisha whispered softly, as Silas's silence was starting to creep her out.
"Something isn't right. The god mutant should have crawled outside and devoured him the moment he stepped into the chamber, but for some reason, he's still alive and without a single scratch on his body," David mused.
Silas stood there for a few moments before lifting his head and shifting his gaze towards the group. Catching sight of Silas's eyes, the group took a few steps back, their hearts racing.
"What the hell? Look at his eyes!" a man in the group exclaimed in shock.
Silas's eyes were now pitch black, and black veins could be seen below his eyes, stretching across his face.
"It's not just his eyes...look at his hands. He has claws, and his muscles are much bigger than they used to be. What's going on here?" David voiced out, his right hand gripping his sword, ready to unsheathe it.
Silas glared at them coldly before dashing forward at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Silas appeared directly in front of a man standing beside David.
Before the man could react, Silas swung his vicious claws towards his neck. The claws traveled through the air at lightning speed and severed the man's head from his body.
Blood splattered around the place as his lifeless body hit the floor, followed by his head.
The eyes of the whole group widened in terror after watching Silas behead their fellow member without breaking a sweat.
"A monster! He's a monster!" Aisha exclaimed at the top of her lungs as she attempted to dash outside the chamber. However, before she could reach the door, she felt a strong gust of wind pass beside her as Silas ran past her and shut the door.
Silas stood in front of the door, making sure no one left. He glared at the group, his expression dark and menacing, resembling that of a cold monster that lived only to spill innocent blood.
The whole group leaped several meters backward to create distance and figure out exactly what was going on.
"I don't know what's happening, but I know one thing for sure: that person isn't Silas Griswold," David muttered as he pulled out his sword and gripped it firmly in his right hand.
"What do we do, David? Arnold was a Grade 4 ability user, and he was killed like an animal. I hate to say this, but based on what I've seen, Silas is far stronger than us. His speed, his strength—they're out of this world!" Aisha voiced out with her heart racing as she clenched her bow in her left hand.
"He might be strong, but definitely not stronger than us if we work together," David responded before shifting his gaze towards the remaining two members standing behind him. "Use your support ability to increase my strength and speed. I'll distract him while you hit him in a critical spot with your arrow, Aisha!" David ordered.
They gave a collective nod, and the two members stretched forth their hands towards David. What looked like a round, glowing energy formed in front of their palms, and David's body was now covered in a red aura.
David felt power rush through his veins, ready to be unleashed. He shifted his gaze towards Silas before charging forward.
"It's game over for you, boy!" David shouted as he swiftly closed the gap. Arriving within striking distance, David swung his blade towards Silas's head.
The blade traveled through the air at incredible speed, heading towards Silas, who just stood there motionless. When the blade was only a few inches away, Silas sidestepped, and the blade missed him by a hair's breadth.
Before David could retrieve his outstretched arm, he saw Silas slashing his vicious claws towards him.
Unable to react swiftly, the claws connected with his chest, drawing blood. David groaned in pain as he leaped a few steps back to create space.
However, Silas didn't relent. He closed the gap instantly and swung his claws towards David, who was still trying to recover from the first hit.
When the claws were on the verge of making impact with his neck, Aisha fired an arrow that pierced right into his arm.
There was not a single sound from Silas when the arrow pierced his arm, nor was there a single drop of blood.
Silas no longer focused on David; his gaze was now fixed on the woman who had just shot him.
He grabbed the arrow stuck in his arm and pulled it out before charging forward. Aisha's heart skipped a beat as she saw Silas closing in on her. She readied another arrow and shot it towards Silas.
Silas deflected the arrow with his claws and finally arrived in front of her. He then drove the arrow he had removed from his arm through her chest, piercing her heart.
Blood trickled down from her mouth as her lifeless body fell to the floor.
Silas shifted his gaze towards the two supporting members, and with a clean strike, he took off their heads.
The whole chamber was now filled with blood, littered with the heads and bodies of the squad.
David stood several meters away, disbelief evident on his face after witnessing Silas slaughter his entire group in the blink of an eye.
"What type of monster is this? Did the god mutant possess him instead of killing him? I've never heard of a mutant that could take over a human's body. What the hell is happening?" David pondered internally, his heart racing, and cold sweat trickled down his face.
The confidence he once had was gone after watching his group get killed, and all he felt now was nothing but fear. He shifted his gaze towards the door and contemplated on running his life.
"Running would be pointless. He would kill me before I even get to the door. What am I going to do?" David mused as Silas finally shifted his gaze towards him with a devilish look evident on his face.
"I guess I have no other choice. I will have to fight. After all, I was elected to be the leader of this particular raid so it's my duty to fight until the very end." David intoned as he clenched his blade tightly in his right hand before charging forward while making a loud battle cry.