"Lambert, should we send them off?" Phutzafgafghuerh inquired. "How about taking care of them now?" Cain suggested. Gaige fixed a stern gaze on the agitated crowd gathered outside his room. They squeezed against the door, protesting that he shouldn't harbor individuals who put him at risk. Internally, Gaige scoffed at their complaints, reflecting on how they were once in a similar position when he first met them. Nevertheless, he chose not to respond and instead watched as Lisa carefully tended to the wound on his leg. He could have used a potion to instantly heal it, but he kept the wound, considering it a potential means to persuade Blink to stay. Strangely, the same wound seemed to provoke dramatic reactions from his family members. "Does it hurt?" Lisa inquired after wrapping the wound with a bandage. Gaige found the question somewhat absurd. Why would she think a mere scratch could cause him pain? With or without divine powers, he could endure even a stabbing. His pain toleranc
No one felt excited about the video they were about to watch on the large screen. None of the purgeable beings present in the extension building looked comfortable, yet they still wished to view the footage that recorded part of their nightmare. Bavin, one of the aliens, operated the alien's recording device to display it on a projector. They placed a large white cloth in front of the screen and began to play the footage. Meanwhile, Gaige, feeling the same discomfort, knelt on his bed. The footage they would watch together was to be shown on the television in his room. He knew it wasn't just him who felt guilty and tainted merely for surviving the hunt and being unable to save the others. Some were hoping to find any information or clues from the footage to ensure their survival in case another nightmare occurred. "I'll fast forward through the first part since it's just us waiting for the purgers to come," Bavin said as he pressed play. The footage started with a close-up view of
The room fell into stunned silence after witnessing Gaige consume the purger who had nearly led them all to their demise. Watching someone devour bloody flesh and gulp it down, as though it were not a living being, was stomach-churning. The recording device couldn't capture the extraterrestrial body of the angel or the souls of their friends extracted by the angel and absorbed by Gaige's body. All that was visible to their naked eyes was Gaige blankly ingesting the purger's body, reminiscent of the way they devoured sausages in their hideout. Instead of feeling disgusted, they were overwhelmed by melancholy, realizing that Gaige's actions must have been driven by desperation. "What is he saying?" Anniston asked, pointing at the screen. "Is he hallucinating?" On the video, Gaige was speaking to the air in his incomprehensible language. They watched as he grappled with despair, the sole survivor against the red shoe purger. Then, a question arose among the aliens, "How did Gaige die?
Gaige's eyes remained blurry from the tears he had shed. Even now, he couldn't control their flow. Though he didn't look at each person around him, he was aware of their concerned glances. Drama seemed to be the order of the day for everyone. If he joined in, it would be even more theatrics. However, there was something highly suspicious about one member of the drama club not reacting dramatically. Zeno, the bald man in the trio, who had emotionally given his hoodie to young Gaige when he had seemingly died three years ago, appeared unaffected by the emotional scene unfolding before him. Zeno's curiosity seemed to outweigh his sympathy or concern, which was the common reaction of those around Gaige. Even Blink and Gina, along with the aliens and the returnees, shared in the concern. It was clear that something was amiss. "Who are you?" Gaige asked, but it didn't provoke any change in Zeno's blunt expression. "What kind of question is that?" Zeno replied. Gina and Blink nudged him,
Andy had a blast for the first time in ages, all thanks to Ainspenser and Gaige's challenge. He was so overjoyed that he longed for another round of fun with them. Having spent half his life as a purger, Andy had grown increasingly bored with each passing day. Purging had lost its edge, and he yearned for something more entertaining. He engaged in various games, such as faking identities, assuming the personas of his targets, or even forming bonds with them before leading them to their doom. Upon resetting and respawning, his immediate goal was to regain his rank, allowing him to play with Ainspenser and Gaige again. It was the first time he felt motivated to climb the ranks and regain his former power. As the former top purger, he had a few non-purgers under his command, whose sole purpose was to assist him in his games. One such minion was the necromancer Kila. Andy had tasked Kila with finding anything that could help him regain his rank, and that led them to the trio in Ieffam
"I'll stop if you tell me your name," Andy said. "What's the big deal about my name?" Gaige replied. Gaige tilted his head, wondering why Andy was so insistent about his name, which Andy already knew. Then, it dawned on him that he had forgotten to turn off the skill Ainspenser had given him, the skill to conceal his name and background information. Andy could see his rank, mission lists, and weapons, but Gaige had left his name as an asterisk. Perhaps Andy was curious about why a lower-ranked purger like him wanted to hide his name. Andy might even suspect it was related to the name of Gaige's angel or lord affiliation. Gaige decided to capitalize on this misunderstanding. "Why are you so interested in names? Afraid we used to serve the same Lord?" His comment elicited a strange reaction from Andy, but as much as Gaige wanted to provoke and gather information from Andy, he couldn't risk it now, as the energy beam threatened to engulf them all. "Do you really think you have time t
"Die for now. I'll pick you up," Ainspenser bluntly stated. "What?" Gaige blurted out in shock. Gaige couldn't even protest when, suddenly, his point of view changed. From seeing Ainspenser up close, his perspective shifted beside Lisa. It was only then that he realized his soul had been transferred into a gun. In his new gun form, he had no idea how his eyes worked, but his vision remained focused on the holographic screen in front of him, displaying a message that read: [Purger Gaige Ferguson, you have died.] [Calculating the reset and respawn timers.] [Please wait a moment…] "Ainspenser! What the heck did you do?" he yelled. Falling to the ground, he struggled to adapt to his new gun body. He didn't even know where his "eyes" were, but at that moment, he glared menacingly at Ainspenser. Ainspenser couldn't address his question as all the returnees and aliens forced themselves to stand up and attack Ainspenser. "Stop! Let me talk to her!" Gaige yelled, but no one was paying
"What have you done?" Axel exclaimed. They all moved in Ainspenser's direction, aiming their weapons and fists at the person they knew had killed Gaige right before their eyes, or, more likely, the person they believed to be Lambert Thom. It was as if an invisible force pulled them towards her like a magnet. Ainspenser didn't seem the least bit bothered by their aggression. She effortlessly deflected all of their attacks, throwing them to the ground and breaking their weapons with ease. Then, she swung Lambert's lifeless body and hurled it toward Lisa. Patal, just awakening after receiving a healing potion from Axel, asked, "What's happening?" He hadn't consumed the potion; instead, Axel had poured the potions onto the other members he hadn't treated yet. Axel didn't have the time to tend to them individually; he was more focused on confronting Ainspenser. "S-she shot him in the head!" Lisa cried out loudly, cradling Lambert's lifeless body as she glared angrily at Ainspenser. Pat