The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse
Chapter 306: Ch: 305 Another Encounter - Part 2

Chapter 306: Ch: 305 Another Encounter - Part 2

Luke let out a slow breath, his hand still clutching his chest.

"You saved my life. Thank you."

He said, glancing sideways at Selene.

Selene didn’t respond.

Her eyes were unfocused, like she wasn’t fully present. Her grip on Luke’s wrist was firm—too firm. It wasn’t the hold of someone guiding, but someone clinging for balance.

Luke frowned.

"Selene?"

He called, placing his hand on her shoulder.

At his touch, Selene blinked rapidly, as if snapping out of a trance. She let go of him abruptly and shook her head.

"I’m fine. You need to go. The next round’s about to start"

She muttered.

Luke hesitated, worry flashing through his eyes.

"Are you sure—?"

"Just go."

Selene said. Her voice was sharp, but distant, like she didn’t even hear herself.

Luke didn’t want to leave, but the system’s call pressed in on his mind. With one last look, he turned and made his way back toward the tournament arena.

Selene exhaled slowly, trying to calm her thundering heart.

She could feel Ethan’s presence drawing closer behind her. A part of her wanted to wait. But another part—stronger, louder—told her to run.

Without hesitation, she summoned a gate. The space twisted open and a massive beast stepped out, snarling, towering over the path.

Selene didn’t wait to watch. She turned down a side corridor and disappeared.

Ethan reached the corner just in time to see the gate closing. The monster roared in his face, halting him.

"What the hell..."

Ethan’s fists tightened. He didn’t know where the monster had come from, but he had no time to ponder it.

The fight was quick but brutal.

Ethan tore through the creature with practiced precision, rage in every blow. Once it hit the ground, twitching and broken, he turned to pursue Selene again—

But a system alert flickered in front of his eyes.

Message from Zara

[Get back now. The next round’s starting.]

Ethan stood frozen. His breath came hard and fast. He clenched his jaw, staring in the direction Selene had gone.

"...Damn it."

He muttered, and turned back.

By the time he returned, the others were already in place. Luke stood on the hosting platform once more, composed now but with a tightness in his jaw that hadn’t been there before.

Ethan took his place beside Orion and Zara. She gave him a look, but said nothing.

The next rounds unfolded rapidly, the tempo of the tournament shifting into high gear.

Every match now was brutal—no more time for games, no room for mistakes. Ethan advanced without effort, but his mind wasn’t in the arena. It was with Selene.

After several grueling hours, the final horn rang out.

[System Announcement: The second stage of the tournament has concluded. Ninety-two percent of participants have been eliminated. Prepare for the final round.]

The survivors gathered were a mere fraction of the original number. Bloodied, tired, determined—but still standing.

Ethan looked at them all, then up toward the sky where the system’s text shimmered. He didn’t care about winning. He just needed to get through this.

And then—he’d find her.

______

Chaos spread across Earth like a sickness.

Sky-splitting cracks birthed dungeon gates above major cities, towns, and even quiet rural villages.

One after another, monsters spilled out.

Their roars drowned out sirens.

People fled, screaming, running in every direction—some trying to hide, others desperately defending what little they could.

Fires burned through neighborhoods, and smoke painted the skies black.

Meanwhile, inside the tournament zone, the final participants stood in stunned silence as Luke delivered the final round’s announcement.

"To win, you must defend Earth from the onslaught. Each monster kill earns one point. The first to reach one thousand points will be the final victor."

Luke said, standing in the center of the raised platform.

A long pause followed.

No one spoke. No one moved.

A girl near the front finally stepped forward, brows furrowed.

"This isn’t a match. This is a massacre! Civilians are out there!"

She said.

Luke stared at her with unreadable eyes.

"The rules are no longer mine to change. The system has spoken."

"But people will die—!"

Someone shouted.

"Then save them. Or don’t. But if you want to win, you know what you have to do."

Luke interrupted sharply.

Disbelief turned to grim acceptance.

Orion swore under his breath.

"They want us to be executioners now?"

"They want survivors."

Ethan muttered.

The crowd began to split up.

Some ran toward the exits with fear in their eyes. Others, hardened by previous rounds, silently summoned weapons and headed toward the nearest threat.

Zara turned to Ethan, her jaw tight.

"Are you coming?"

Ethan stood still for a moment. His eyes were on the sky, watching a gate pulse above them like a festering wound.

"This... this is too much."

"But we can’t back out now. You’ve seen what happens when someone breaks the rules."

Zara said.

He thought of Madam Verta. Her screams. Her ashes.

"Yeah, I saw."

Ethan said bitterly.

He followed Zara out of the zone and into the battlefield.

As they emerged into the chaos, they were greeted by a city on fire.

Buildings crumbled in the distance. Shadows darted between streets. In the far skyline, a dragon-shaped creature let out a deafening screech as it swooped down onto a skyscraper.

Orion caught up with them, panting.

"There’s no strategy to this. It’s a free-for-all."

"No. It’s a purge."

Ethan said, drawing his weapon.

Across the world, other participants did the same.

Some protected civilians out of instinct. Others didn’t bother. Kill count was all that mattered now.

The tournament had become a war.

The city was collapsing into chaos.

Screams echoed from every direction as monstrous creatures tore through buildings, scattering civilians in all directions.

Zara stood in the middle of the street, bloodied but unshaken. She held her arm out and summoned a protective barrier to shield a group of terrified people.

"This way! Head to the shelters. They’re shielded — you’ll be safe there!"

She called, motioning toward the nearest alley.

A mother clutched her child and ran, others stumbling behind her. Zara glanced back at the approaching monsters.

More were coming. Too many.

Orion landed beside her, breath ragged from a recent fight.

"This is insane! A thousand points? We’ll never reach that. There are too many of them."

Zara didn’t answer, too focused on watching a massive creature tear apart a car down the block. Ethan, blade drawn and clothes torn, walked over and shook the blood off his arm.

"Some of them are worth more than one point. Boss monsters. They have to be. If we can find and kill them, it’ll shorten the count."

Ethan said.

Orion gritted his teeth.

"You’re assuming they even count for more."

"Got a better idea?"

Ethan shot back.

Zara narrowed her eyes.

"No. He’s right. Splitting up might be the only way."

Without another word, they dispersed — Ethan leaping to the rooftops, Orion heading toward the east gate, and Zara vanishing into the smoke-covered streets.

—

Across town, Nora stood in the middle of a ruined office floor, arms outstretched, shielding the remaining employees of the Vale corporation.

Shards of glass and debris flew everywhere as a monster clawed at the outer barrier.

Noah dropped beside her, slamming the monster back with a wave of crushing force. It screamed as it was flung out the window.

"Two more groups just got out. That makes six we’ve cleared."

He reported, panting.

"Only another dozen left. This is ridiculous."

Nora muttered, sarcasm sharp.

Noah crouched beside her, scanning the city from the broken window. Fires burned in every direction.

"We’re not even part of the tournament anymore. Why are we still doing this?"

Nora didn’t answer right away. Her eyes were drawn to the skyline — monsters climbing through every crack in the air.

"Because someone has to. And if not us, who else?"

He sighed.

"So what now?"

"We keep going. We protect who we can."

Her voice hardened.

Noah nodded and stood.

"Let’s finish this."

Noah glanced back once at the frightened employees behind them, most too shocked to even move.

"We’ll escort them to the nearest shelter, then head back out."

Nora gave a tight nod and reinforced the barrier one last time.

"Stay close! Follow us and don’t stop unless we tell you to."

She shouted to the group.

As they moved through the rubble-strewn streets, monsters roared in the distance.

A flash of light erupted nearby, followed by a building collapsing in on itself.

The tremors knocked some of the civilians off balance, but Nora and Noah quickly steadied them and kept them moving.

"Feels like the whole city’s coming down."

Noah muttered.

Nora didn’t respond. Her eyes were fixed forward, face tense. She knew this wasn’t just a tournament anymore.

It was a war zone — and they were barely holding the line.

Suddenly, she paused.

"Something big’s coming."

Noah turned to her.

"How big?"

Before she could answer, a monstrous roar shook the ground beneath them.

Nora’s heart dropped as she turned to see a towering, armored beast stomping through the street, crushing cars like paper.

Noah’s eyes widened.

"Boss monster."

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