"My name is Darwin. Nice to meet you," Darwin replied.
"Let's go meet the rest," Doom said, leading Darwin towards the back of the supermarket. They descended into the dimly lit basement. Darwin saw two men and a woman. The men were arm wrestling, while the woman cheered them on.
"Guys, we have a new member," Doom announced, drawing their attention to Darwin.
"Hey handsome," the woman said to Darwin with a playful smile.
"What is a small boy like him looking for here?" one of the arm wrestlers scoffed.
"Hope you are strong, kid, 'cause this is not a guild for the weak," the other man added.
Annoyed by their condescending remarks, Darwin decided to demonstrate his abilities. With a burst of speed, he vanished from his spot and reappeared behind the two men. He summoned his axe, placing the blade lightly against the neck of the one who had just spoken.
"Impressive," the man with the axe at his throat admitted. "I must admit, you definitely seem strong, but still, not strong enough."
Suddenly, before Darwin could react, his hand holding the axe was cleanly severed. Darwin was shocked, unable to perceive the attack.
"What the f*ck?" the woman exclaimed, looking at the other arm wrestler.
Darwin, knowing his regenerative capabilities, remained outwardly calm. His severed hand instantly turned to ash, and a new hand grew back in its place. The absence of sunlight in the basement allowed his vampire abilities to function fully.
"Whoa, cool!" the woman exclaimed, impressed.
"That's definitely impressive," the other man conceded. "We accept you. Welcome to the Berserker Guild," the man who had cut off Darwin's hand said with a grin.
Hahahaha, a loud laugh echoed from Hazel as he observed Darwin and the Berserker guild through his Soul Watch skill.
"I guess it's time to prepare for war," Hazel murmured to himself.
He convened a meeting with the title bearers, relaying everything he had witnessed. Together, they formulated a plan for their impending counter-attack.
~Back to Darwin~
Darwin spent three days among the Berserker guild, attempting to integrate and fight alongside them against other guilds.
"I think it's time to head back to your friends, don't you think?" Doom said to Darwin, his tone suggesting it was more of a statement than a question.
"It's about time," Darwin replied, a hint of anticipation in his voice.
The five members of the Berserker guild stood together, confident in their ability to challenge the Legion Empire. With a thought from Doom, they vanished, space-jumping directly into Legion Empire territory.
"We have been expecting you," Hazel said, standing calmly before them.
The Berserkers were visibly surprised by Hazel's preparedness and his accurate prediction of their arrival point.
"Thank you for welcoming us, but we didn't come here for a visit," Doom stated, his smirk evident.
"Of course, I'm aware," Hazel replied coolly. "But you won't be leaving here victorious. Oh, and welcome back, Darwin," he added with a deliberately annoying tone.
Darwin's anger flared. He lunged forward, axe raised, but Alexa intercepted him, leaping from the shadows, her twin blades clashing against his axe.
"Darwin, you were not wrong. You definitely have some strong people here," Doom said, his smirk widening into a laugh.
"Darwin, please use your brain and come back here," Alexa pleaded.
Darwin's face contorted with rage. "You! I won't forgive you!" he snarled, charging towards Alexa.
The initial clashes erupted into full-blown battles. The remaining Berserker guild members attempted to overwhelm Hazel, but Oscar, Ashton, Shadow, and Mia materialized instantly, forming a protective barrier around their leader.
A tense pause hung in the air before one of the Berserkers remarked, "This should be fun."
The two groups split, engaging in fierce individual battles, leaving their leaders to face off.
"Give up now, and I may consider giving you a quick death," Doom said to Hazel, his confidence unwavering.
"Try me," Hazel retorted, his hand gripping his scythe.
"I warned you," Doom said with a menacing smirk.
Hazel summoned his scythe, and the battle between the two leaders commenced. Hazel initiated the attack, using his incredible speed to flank Doom and attempt a decapitating strike. However, with seemingly no movement, Doom cleanly severed both of Hazel's hands.
Hazel leaped backward, creating distance. "Wanna give up now, don't you?" Doom taunted, his expression menacing.
"Na, not really," Hazel replied as his hands regenerated instantly. With a burst of speed, he summoned the scythe he had dropped behind Doom. The weapon nearly decapitated Doom, catching him off guard, but Doom space-jumped away at the last moment.
"Your regenerating skill is really a thorn in my side," Doom admitted to Hazel.
"I know. Without it, I would have died many times, but I have only died twice," Hazel countered.
"You have died twice, so how...?" Doom began, but Hazel threw his scythe, which had now doubled. Doom space-jumped, sending the scythe hurtling back towards Hazel, but the weapon passed harmlessly through him.
"You really have disturbing skills," Doom conceded.
"I can say the same about you," Hazel replied.
~The fight between Ashton and the Invincible Blade~
"It's a pleasure fighting you. I'm known as the Invincible Blade," the Berserker member facing Ashton announced.
"The pleasure is all mine. I'm known as the Time Jerker. Let's have a wonderful battle," Ashton replied with mock politeness.
Ashton initiated the attack, dashing forward with the intent of a swift victory. However, despite his precognitive abilities warning him of an incoming attack, he couldn't comprehend its nature and was unable to fully evade it. His leg was cleanly severed.
Falling to the ground, Ashton was bewildered. The Invincible Blade approached, but Ashton used his hands to push himself backward, creating distance. His leg regenerated, and he stood once more.
"Oh, you can also heal like that friend of yours. No matter, this should be fun," the Invincible Blade said with a grin.
Ashton maintained his distance, trying to decipher the Invincible Blade's attack method. Suddenly, he saw a future where jumping backward led to him being sliced to pieces. Reacting to this vision, he leaped to the left instead, but he collided with an unseen force, and his hand was severed.
"No escaping now," the Invincible Blade said with a confident smirk.
~The battle between Torn and Mia~
"Please leave with your people immediately, that is if you don't want to die," Mia warned Torn.
"And who is gonna kill me?" Torn retorted with a laugh.
"If that is what you have to say after my warning, I will be the last thing you see," Mia declared before charging.
Mia attacked with her sword, but Torn effortlessly dodged, twisting and turning to evade the blade. While evading, Torn released something from her hand, seemingly sweat. Upon contact with Mia, Torn made a "Boom" sound, and metallic thorns erupted through Mia's body.
Mia fell to her knees, coughing up blood. "What an end you have come to. It seems my face will be the last you see," Torn gloated.
Mia stood up abruptly. "Not quite," she said, pulling the thorns from her body, her injuries healing instantly.
~The battle between Alexa, Oscar, Shadow, and Darwin~
"Hey Darwin, are you sure you want to do this?" Oscar asked, concern in his voice.
"Enough of the talk! Come at me together!" Darwin challenged.
"You heard him," Alexa said, vanishing into the shadows before reappearing behind Darwin in a blur, her aura-enhanced strike narrowly missing his vital points thanks to his speed.
"You have really improved. You almost caught me there," Darwin acknowledged Alexa.
Oscar stepped forward, his hair igniting into black flames, his sword wreathed in the same dark fire, his aura radiating menace. He vanished and reappeared instantly before Darwin, attacking with his flaming sword.
Unable to dodge, Darwin blocked with his axe, but the black flames instantly engulfed the weapon. He threw the axe away to avoid being burned.
"Meet my upgrade: black flames. It burns anything," Oscar said to Darwin, a grim satisfaction in his voice.
Hahahaha, a menacing laugh echoed from Darwin.
"I see you've all improved yet again so fast," Darwin said, a hint of grudging admiration in his tone.
"Do you even realize how weak you are?" Oscar retorted, his black flames flickering.
"You're not gonna chicken out, are you?" Alexa taunted, her twin blades gleaming.
"Hell no, I'm just starting," Darwin replied, a defiant smirk on his face.
Darwin then transformed into his vampire form. Although sunlight typically weakened vampires, Darwin seemed unfazed, his enhanced stats more than compensating for the reduction. His transformation was swift and unsettling, fangs elongating, clothes shifting to a darker hue. Alexa didn't hesitate, launching an immediate attack, and the clash resumed.
Oscar and Alexa coordinated their assault, but Darwin met their attacks with relentless, boosted speed. The battle raged fiercely. Finally, Oscar landed a powerful blow that, while dodged, caused Darwin to lose his footing. Seizing the opportunity, Alexa plunged her dagger into his shoulder, pinning him to the ground.
"Surrender and come back where you belong," Oscar commanded.
"I must say, I am definitely impressed, but I think I'm already where I need to be," Darwin replied, his defiance unwavering.
"Then have it your own way," Oscar said, raising his black flame-covered sword to deliver the final blow.
Just as Oscar was about to strike, Hazel's voice echoed in his mind, "NO."
Oscar froze, the fiery blade inches from Darwin's chest, the force of the halted attack creating a shockwave that shattered the ground beneath them. He glanced at Alexa, and it was clear she had heard Hazel's mental command as well.