MONSTER ACAPOLYPSE VI

Hey, do you think we're fools? If you're the fourth pawn, why are you still alive then?" yelled the blue-haired man, anger lacing his voice as he pointed his gun at Ave.

"Are you the fourth pawn then, or why are you bent on killing everyone? You must be the fourth pawn definitely," yelled Ave, her expression angry.

"Shut up, woman!" the blue-haired man yelled, and shot the gun at Ave. Axel jumped in front of her, pushing her away and getting hit in the arm instead.

"Axel!" Ave called out with panic and fear, running up to Axel and kneeling down beside him as she witnessed his bleeding arm, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What a lovely couple. You want to die for her?" the blue-haired man asked with a smirk. "Such a lover boy. I hate lover boys the most," he added, turning to walk away uninterested in the unfolding drama. He soon turned his gaze to the trembling players at the church exit who were unable to open the locked door. The blue-haired man continued shooting his gun fiercely at them, blood spattering everywhere.

"How can you be so dumb," Axel murmured under his breath, his gaze fixed on Ave, who remained silent as tears continued to roll down her cheeks like rainwater. "That man is dangerous. We have to find a way to bring him down. I have a feeling that he is definitely the fourth pawn," he added, with a serious gaze making Ave's eyes wide opened in shock and nodded in agreement.

Ave quickly tore a piece of her undergarment to bandage Axel's bleeding arm and helped him to his feet.

Axel then pulled out a small knife which he had hidden from his clothing and approached one of the seven men, his face emotionless as he stabbed the man deeply in the abdomen until he was confirmed dead. He then took the man's gun and began firing the gun at the other dangerous men who began dropping dead.

Ave then gathered the guns from the dead men, muttering "Crazy jerks" as she walked away with the weapons in hand.

Although Axel had successfully subdued the other seven dangerous men, he was now faced with the blue-haired man. Despite the man pointing his gun at Axel, he refused to shoot. The two men locked eyes in a tense standoff.

"Do you have a death wish?" the blue-haired man asked, his tone filled with anger.

"You're the fourth pawn, aren't you?" Axel smirked. "Why else would you want everyone dead?"

"What kind of a question is that, huh? You must be a joker!" the blue-haired man retorted, and soon began firing his gun at Axel. Despite the shots, Axel managed to dodge them and close the distance between them. He disarmed the blue-haired man and tossed the gun to Ave, who caught it effortlessly. Meanwhile, Axel and the blue-haired man engaged in a fierce fistfight on the floor.

"What did I do wrong? I'm just a player too!" pleaded the once dangerous man, who had now become calm, begging with pleading eyes under Axel, who continued punching him in the face despite his pleas. Axel soon proceeded to bring out a small knife and slit the neck of the blue-haired man, leading to his immediate death.

Axel then got off the blue-haired man, panting heavily as he awaited the system announcement for their victory.

"We won, but even though we tried to save these people, they're all still going to die. The fourth pawn is really cruel," said Ave, with teary eyes as she stared at the players, who had fears written all over their faces.

*Ding!*

*(Next monster has shown up.)*

*(The shifter.)*

The system announcement caused Axel and Ave to exchange a questioning look before turning their attention back to the system.

"Isn't that the fourth pawn I killed?" Axel asked, his tone laced with anger.

(The fourth pawn hasn't been killed yet.)

"Darn it! And the monster had shown up? Meaning the monster was already in our midst even before you announced it," yelled Ave, her body tense as she glared angrily at the system.

(That is how the fourth pawn planned his game. The fourth pawn is the shifter dear players, it's now up to you all to fish him out. )

"Really? What kind of monster is the shifter?" asked Ave, her eyes burning with curiosity as she stared at the system.

(Shifters come in all shapes and sizes, from small and unassuming to large and intimidating. There are different types of shifters but one thing they all have in common is their ability to change their appearance and form at will.)

"What kind of shifter is the fourth pawn then?" asked Axel, frustration evident in his posture as he placed his hands on his waist and kept his gaze fixed on the system.

(The skinwalkers. They are known for their ability to shift into the form of other humans. This can be used to blend in with society or to spy on others. But it can also be used in more nefarious ways, such as to trick and manipulate others.)

(And because they can appear as anyone, they can be hard to track down and identify. The shifter can be anyone and anything, making them a truly dangerous and unpredictable foe.)

"Guess the fourth trial would never end," said Ave with a dejected face as she took a seat on the tiled floor.

"Is the fourth pawn with us now?" asked Axel, his expression serious.

(I can't tell you that. I've provided you with lots of information, it's now left to you players to fish out the fourth pawn by yourselves. Best of luck!!.)

"Darn it!" Axel cursed as he angrily punched the church wall, making his hand bleed in the process. "Anyone can be the shifter. Who exactly is the fourth pawn," Axel thought to himself as he sat down beside Ave, burying his head in his lap.

Several hours passed and the fourth pawn still hadn't been identified. Axel remained seated on the tiled floor, his head buried in his lap. Suddenly, he raised his head and whispered something to Ave, causing her to show shocked expression. She then got up and walked into the inner part of the church, without alerting anybody.

"There's no time limit for when the fourth game will end. We can all get familiar with living with monsters," said one of the players with a sad expression.

GROWLS**

The church floor began to shake under the players' feet. Items in the church fell to the ground, crashing as they landed.

"The monsters... they've discovered our hiding space," said a panicked man from the players.

"It won't be long before we're all pronounced dead," said another.

"You just said we can get familiar with living with monsters. See? Your words have come to pass as the monsters have come visiting us," said a chubby lady from the players with a smirk. "Are we going to wait here until we're all dead? We have to fish out the fourth pawn," she added as she stood up from her seat, now facing the players. She then pulled out a gun, instilling fear in the others and pointing it towards Axel, who remained lost in his own thoughts, unaware of what was happening around him. "He is the fourth pawn," she declared.

The man with blue hair was once brutal, but at the time of his death, his expression changed and he became more calm. He started shooting everyone the moment I stepped into the church. Could it be that the fourth pawn had taken over his body then? He actually waited for me before taking the body of a person and since the bloody massacre only started the moment I and Ave walked in, then the shifter is right here in this church, taking on the appearance of someone else, thought Axel. He soon raised his head with a fierce expression but was met with the gazes of all the players and the chubby lady, still pointing a gun at him.

"I've been accused me twice now?" Axel said, his gaze fixed on the chubby lady, who looked confused but still had the gun pointed at Axel. By now Ave had returned from the inner room, and only then did Axel got up from the floor and circled around the chubby lady "I've been accused twice of being the fourth pawn."

In movies, you can reveal the real appearance of someone under a spell by allowing them to show themselves in a reflective object, like water or a mirror. It's only shown in movies, but who knows, it might work, Axel thought to himself with a smirk.

"I'm the fourth pawn," Axel revealed. "If I am, then why am I not dead yet? I'm just wondering if someone can bring themselves to say that," he continued, still circling the chubby lady, whose expression was full of confusion.

"Only Anthony would wait for me to reveal myself, try to accuse me of being the fourth pawn, and when his plan failed, start killing every player so that the fourth game would never end. And why wouldn't he kill me the moment he set his eyes on me? Well, that's because he might have prepared a special death for me and wouldn't want me to die so easily."

Axel soon stopped circling around the lady and stood behind her, and brought out a broken mirror that he had hidden under his clothes. He stretched his hand from behind her, and she tried to toss the mirror away, but it was too late as Axel had confirmed what he wanted to.

"I finally found you, Anthony!" declared Axel, as the mirror revealed Anthony's face on the lady's face.