Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 133 - 132 The Rescue Mission

Chapter 133: Chapter 132 The Rescue Mission

He unwrapped it carefully, like it was something precious. Well it was to Olivia.

The silver blade shimmered slightly, even in the low light. The hilt was familiar, with the emerald shining beneath the black, intricate steel. It was exactly how Luke had given it to her.

Olivia reached out and took it, holding it with both hands.

It was cold, but it felt right. She held it close to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. Her lips parted, but she couldn’t say anything. Her throat was too tight.

Tyler stood, brushing the dirt from his pants. "He would’ve wanted you to keep it."

"I know," she whispered, her voice cracking.

Tyler looked at her for a moment longer, then stepped out of the tent, leaving her alone. He wanted to talk about the thing he had been dying to know, however, he knew that this wasn’t the best time to ask anything.

Olivia sat down slowly, still holding the sword. Her fingers brushed along the edge, letting its chill seep into her.

She thought of Luke’s smile. His dumb jokes. The way he had always cared for her, the way he had fought and died for her. She leaned her forehead against the hilt, tears slipping quietly down her cheeks.

She didn’t make any sound. She just... let them fall. Her shoulders trembled.

"I miss you," she whispered. "I miss you so much."

Outside, the sky began to lighten.

Birds chirped in the distance.

But she stayed there for a while, holding the sword like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. Because maybe it was.

......

It was the third day of training with Stefan and the rest of the group. Olivia’s eyes darted across the rest of the students’ faces. Whenever her gaze landed on Freya, her blood seemed to boil. She wondered if she should make her disappear, but she wasn’t that heartless of a person.

"Everyone, gather around." Stefan’s voice broke her trail of thoughts.

They all stood around him. She stood beside Lucian, who flashed her a smile.

"I’ve got a mission for you guys. One that will strengthen your mind and your abilities..." he began. "When you all finish the training, you will come back stronger than ever."

"What type of training is that?" Tyler asked, his brows slightly furrowed. He believed this wasn’t just any mission.

"A rescue mission." His words were like a bomb, his gaze observing every single expression of theirs.

Olivia looked around curiously as she saw the looks on the older students’ faces turn grim. Is a rescue mission dangerous? Why were they all looking scared?

"A rescue mission? Are you sending us to our death or what?" Klaus clenched his teeth.

"Yes... and no. We have detected some survivor movement in the ruined city, and your job as my students is to bring them back to the fortress safely," Stefan answered before he began to walk around in circles.

"I know you all are scared because of the difficulty of reaching the city. Yes, the monsters are more deadly... and you might encounter some monsters that are not yet discovered or known. But that is our job as soldiers—we give our lives to protect those of civilians. You are not here in the academy so you can only train. You are here to make the world a better place and eradicate those pests of a monster."

The silence in the air thickened. The students’ minds were already clouded with fear. If one had to make it to the city and come back alive, you must be in the Cataclysmic rank. Olivia’s hand clenched on the sword that was hanging on her waist. She was still in the first ranking. How was she going to survive this?

"You are right to be afraid. It is true that a few among you might not come back alive... But it is not only you guys that will be going..." As he said those words, hope seemed to flicker in their eyes. "You are going along with an elite group. Group Beta. Remember I said training," he said with a smirk.

But that did not wash away the remaining trace of fear in their hearts. Olivia’s gaze flicked to Lucian, who seemed to have no expression on his face. She wondered why he was this calm. Wasn’t he afraid?

Olivia’s eyes then moved to the sword hanging on her waist. She knew the system was unfair, but she never expected the teachers to also be this heartless—sending people like them, unfit for this type of advanced mission.

Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was clenching her fist. She needed to get more cores and upgrade as soon as possible. If she failed to level up, then she would be as good as dead.

"You all will depart in three days’ time." His words were like a harsh judgment they couldn’t escape from.

But how could she get more cores in such a short period of time? Her brows knitted together. "The pit fighting," she muttered.

Although it was a dangerous choice, that was the only option she had if she really must level up fast. Her eyes flicked back to Freya, who seemed to also be deep in thought. ’Who knows what evil plan is brewing in that devil’s mind.’

Liam and his twin sister, Ellie, were talking in hushed voices, talking about how to grow stronger and be capable of merging. That was the only chance they had to survive.

Meanwhile, Tyler was in a dilemma. If he could not grow strong enough to survive this mission, then he would have to depend on the other side of his powers he was too afraid to let loose.

Klaus’s fist clenched. Seeing the way everything was, he needed to get more cores from his father. A smirk formed on his lips—he basically had nothing to worry about.

Different thoughts passed through their heads as they all planned to get stronger and survive the inescapable doom.