KILLING THE STRANGE MAN

Bobby's pace picked up and his legs were less shaky now.

He had come a long way and gone through so much on his journey on achieving the feat of being the greatest Prime, to back out and run because of some strange man just because he has great strength and durability, regeneration and speed

From barely managing to convince his father's parents to let him come to the Hero Academy by promising to link them up with children of powerhouse families to the vast amount he had to spend from his savings literally emptying it just to secure his admission into Phoenix Hero Academy since the fief he has awakened wasn't exactly Top Hero Academy material.

This doesn't even account for the numerous hours and days he spent staying up, diligently researching everything about Primes and Heroes.

He had done so much to back down now.

As he pressed onward, his grasp on the rock tightened. Fortunately, the strange man remained so engrossed with Raziel that he failed to perceive Bobby's maneuvers.

Bobby skillfully approached the man from behind, ready to strike him on the head with the rock when an unforeseen event unfolded.

Suddenly relinquishing his struggle with Raziel, the man swiftly seized the hand in which Bobby held the rock, contorting his wrist in an unusual manner, resulting in a disconcerting and audible snap.

The rock slipped instantly from Bobby's hand. Everything unfolded so swiftly that Bobby only became aware of the pain seconds later, and it proved to be the most agonizing sensation he had experienced in all of his sixteen years, excluding the one from ingesting Algos.

In the throes of conflicting emotions, Bobby grappled with whether to cry, shout, or simply run around in a frenzy, unable to determine the most fitting response to the intense pain coursing through him.

His brain appeared to undergo a shutdown, and he only snapped back to awareness when he sensed pressure on his neck, gradually sapping away his breath and life.

The peculiar man had a firm grip around his neck, making it difficult for him to breathe. Instead of his typical eerie smile, the man displayed bared teeth, slowly bringing them near Bobby's face.

Bobby was scared shitless, at that moment he no longer even felt the pain from his hand and was rather focused on what plans the strange man had for him.

From his side he could see Raiziel who was seriously panting and squatting not too far away, it seemed he couldn't even move from how exhausted he looked.

There was no need placing any hope on him, Bobby knew at his state he could barely even save himself talk less of someone else.

The strange man's teeth slowly sank into Bobby's face causing him to go into a frenzy.

He knew he was most likely going to die.

So this was how the others felt too…

It just felt too real, like this wasn't in a VR but the real world after all.

For some reason a singular memory suddenly erupted in his mind.

It was the first time he used his fief.

After one awakens their fief for the first time they go through what is known as the validation process, it is what confirms the fief one awakened.

Bobby recalled the moment when officials informed him of the successful awakening of his fief. Despite the lingering discomfort from ingesting Algos, that single piece of news eclipsed the pain. It signified that all those years of hard work were not in vain.

The official instructed him to place his hand on a machine designed to identify the specific fief he had awakened. He vividly recalled the mix of emotions when the result revealed that he had a fief influencing emotions when he sang.

In essence, he was devastated. How could he aspire to be one of the greatest Primes known to humanity with such a seemingly shitty fief?

Although he had been informed about receiving the first validation for his fief through the first emotional or physical trigger, Bobby wasn't concerned about any of that. To him, his dream appeared to have crumbled with the less-than-ideal fief he had awakened.

His parents received the news, responding with, "They had already presumed his test would amount to nothing; after all, he was a loser."

Bobby was unperturbed by that, as his primary concern arose when his two stepbrothers got wind of the test results. They promptly ganged up on him, relentlessly striking his face and throat, compelling him to sing a song. Throughout this ordeal, they didn't refrain from mocking and hurling insults at him repeatedly.

Bobby attempted to break free from their grasp, but given his meager stature in contrast to the imposing physique of the two, there was little he could do. Eventually, he succumbed to their taunts and started singing a song.

As soon as he began singing, something peculiar occurred. The eldest stepson's face started squeezing and contorting, his hands slowly reaching towards his face before halting midway. He withdrew his hands, suddenly turning to his side, fixating his eyes on his brother, wearing an expression as if he had perceived some form of threat or enemy.

Before anyone could discern this peculiar change in his behavior, he had already pounced on his brother, delivering repeated punches to the face.

All the onlookers, including his brother enduring the assault, remained oblivious to the abrupt shift in behavior and the sudden display of violence. However, this was the case for everyone, except Bobby.

He understood what had triggered his stepbrother's sudden violent behavior, having felt the influence of his fief taking effect while he sang.

Even though the effect had only persisted for about a minute, and his father and the rest of the family punished him thoroughly, Bobby didn't mind. That event turned out to be the highlight of his day, serving as a reminder of his aspirations and reigniting his determination to pursue his dream.

It seemed amusing that he was recalling this memory now, as for some reason, he suddenly felt the urge to sing.

Without concerning himself with the tight grip on his neck or the teeth gradually sinking into his face, he opened his mouth and sang.

While his voice certainly wasn't the best, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to label him a terrible singer, Bobby persisted in singing.

It happened to be one of his favorite songs from that time, and likely the only song he could manage to sing. The lyrics conveyed a theme about the universality and inevitability of loneliness in the end.

As he sang, initially, nothing appeared to happen, and it seemed like his singing only prompted the man to tighten his grip on Bobby's neck. Nevertheless, Bobby persisted with his song until he experienced that familiar sensation once again—the same feeling he had when he first used his fief. Small twitches began to manifest on the man's face; initially subtle, they compelled the man to intensify the pressure on Bobby's neck in an attempt to halt the singing. Instead of stopping, Bobby persevered through the pain, his voice barely audible due to the intense pressure on his throat.

Finally, Bobby's perseverance appeared to yield results as the man's grip on his neck gradually loosened, liberating Bobby from his clutches. Despite regaining his freedom, Bobby persisted with his song, causing the man to suddenly start screaming. He desperately covered both ears with his hands, seemingly attempting to shield himself from the song. However, this proved ineffective as his screams persisted until he eventually fell to both knees.

Bobby understood that it was only a matter of time before the effects of his fief wore off and the strange man regained his footing to potentially finish him off. Strangely, Bobby didn't appear troubled by this prospect; instead, he felt a sense of fulfillment.

Sensing the swift dissipation of his fief's effects, he chose to sit on the floor with his eyes closed, awaiting his fate while continuing to sing. Given his current condition and the state the strange man had left him in, he was too worn out and in a rather terrible state to go anywhere.

Just when it appeared that all hope was lost— the man's screams ceased, and he was slowly rising to his feet— the unexpected occurred: the man's head suddenly detached, leaving a headless body in its wake.

Bobby, shocked, gazed at the headless form of the man and Raziel, who had unexpectedly positioned himself behind the man, wielding an obsidian small machete.

Bobby hadn't anticipated Raziel's sudden involvement given his current condition, although even now, Raziel appeared pale and drained.

The first words that escaped Bobby's slightly parted lips were, "Isn't he just going to regenerate and come back even stronger? The ability is just too powerful."

Raziel stayed silent for a moment, continuing to gaze at the headless body before slowly shifting his dull, emerald eyes toward Bobby.

"Nothing is truly perfect, only very good at hiding its imperfections," Raziel responded.

Though his voice was barely audible, Bobby managed to hear every word Raziel spoke.

Surprisingly, just as Raziel had predicted, even after some time had passed, there was still no sign of life or movement from either the man's body or head.

It all dawned on Bobby at that moment—the reason why it seemed the man's regeneration had halted when Amanda repeatedly smashed his head, or why he consistently retreated whenever a strike targeted his head.

In the end, everything turned out fine, and they ultimately defeated the man. Bobby had awakened his fief, indicating that he had likely passed the test and survived, which was also a positive outcome. However, Amanda remained motionless, and for some reason, Raziel hadn't dispersed the obsidian machete in his hand, staring oddly at Bobby.

To be specific, he fixated on the bite wounds on Bobby's face.

Without uttering a word, Bobby instantly comprehended the situation.

Raziel believed Bobby might have been infected by the wound and likely perceived him as a threat. Honestly, Bobby wasn't feeling well himself.

His hand slowly moved towards the area with the most significant wounds. However, halfway there, he suddenly felt as if he were falling, and his eyes were now fixated on the ground.

It felt like he was missing something crucial—a strange sensation. For a few seconds, he recalled seeing his body headless, and then Raziel standing much closer to it, his emerald eyes gazing intently at him.

After that, there was only darkness.