Chapter 351
Alex was sleeping soundly as Rachel placed his head on her lap . It has been a year since they last met, but it seems like a lot of things have changed . This face of his remained the same yet the expressions it showed was more than before . The look Alex gave her was the look of despair and hopelessness, it was a look Rachel could never a.s.sociate with Alex before this incident . That just proved how much Alex had to go through while being trapped in here for the past year .
Rachel looked around the room, it had a lot of bloodstains, a lot of cracks from the walls to the ceiling, it even had scratches here and there . This showed Rachel all the struggles Alex had to endure while staying in this small room .
She then saw Alex"s body through his torn up s.h.i.+rt and saw his numerous wounds, there were a lot of different types from gun wounds, stab wounds, burns, and many more .
"After not meeting you for a year, I always yearned to see you . . . But, not like this . . . How much suffering must you have gone through . . . If I could, I would"ve gladly accompanied you through your suffering . . . NO, if I could I would"ve never allowed this to happen . I"m sorry that I was so weak, I"m sorry that you always get hurt and I can do nothing about it . "
Rachel caressed Alex"s face as tears fell down her beautiful face, falling onto Alex"s cheeks . She couldn"t help it, right here in front of her was the boy she so longed to meet . Yet the way they reunited wasn"t how she dreamt it to be, it was a bittersweet feeling as she felt both happy and sad at the same time .
While Rachel was wallowing in her feelings, she felt a warm hand touching her face wiping away the tears .
"Why are you crying, Rachel? Did that b*stard make you cry? Don"t worry no matter what I"ll protect you . "
As he said this, Alex touched her face and slowly caressed it . Rachel took hold of Alex"s hand and the two looked each other in the eye and felt a burning desire within them . Without even thinking Rachel suddenly pounced on Alex and kissed him . At first, Alex was surprised by the kiss, but then he responded in kind .
The kissing started with a peck on the lips, and then it escalated to deeper kisses . The two of them took each other"s breath away . If not for the cameras installed in the room that Alex couldn"t destroy, this kissing session would"ve escalated into something more .
After a few minutes of making out, Alex and Rachel finally stopped . It was then Rachel remembered what Richter told her . After telling Alex the thing Richter said, she noticed his face twitch a bit . If it was the Alex from before, it would be nearly impossible to guess what he was thinking, but now it was a bit easier .
"What choice does that monster need you to make?" Alex couldn"t respond to that question as he hesitated on what to say . Rachel was quick to notice his hesitation and spoke first .
"Alex, no matter what it is you can tell me . Please trust me, and tell me the situation so that I can help you . "
Rachel looked at Alex who was in pain and felt that she too was in pain . Alex who saw the pained expression of Rachel"s couldn"t decide on what to do . If he told her what will happen, it might break her, and Alex didn"t want that to happen . But if he doesn"t tell her what the choice he needs to make was, and she eventually finds out that too might break her .
Alex thought for a moment before speaking . "I"m sorry Rachel, I know this is selfish of me, but I want you to trust me . I will do whatever it takes to protect you, this I swear . "
Rachel looked at Alex"s serious expression and sighed . Even though he was more expressive than before, Alex to her remained the same Alex she knew . Seeing him like this, and acting with such resolve, as the person who claims to love him she felt that this was a time where she needed to trust him .
"Fine, I won"t ask about it anymore . I trust you, Alex . . . So you"re the one and only heir to the legendary Mercenary group the Shadow Mercenaries . I also-" Alex blocked Rachel"s lips with his finger, stopping her from talking .
"Before you say anything else, I need to get this out of my system . Rachel first off I want to say that I love you . I don"t know when it happened but, I know right now that I love you Rachel Regius . "
When Rachel heard what Alex said her heart could no longer take it as it started beating even faster . She wanted to reply in kind, but before she could say anything Alex once again stopped her from talking .
"I also need to tell you the reason why I kept on bothering you on the day we met . " Alex then started to tell Rachel everything about him being a merc and the mission his father gave him .
"I know that this is a huge violation of your trust, and I hope you forgive me . I know it might sound weird, but I really do love you . " Alex bowed his head as apologized . He didn"t lift his head and the room was totally silent . After a few seconds Rachel suddenly laughed . Alex raised his head and saw that Rachel was laughing her heart out .
"That"s what"s troubling you all this time, is that what you wanted to say to me before we separated a year ago? If so, then I already guess all of that, and pretty much everyone in the Mercenary club kinda knew . "
"Really?"
"Yeah, the way you acted, your weird skills and abilities, all of these things gave a clear picture as to what kind of past you had . "
"I see . . . " Alex looked a bit dejected that his escort mission was that bad . Rachel who saw Alex practically sulking couldn"t help but smile .
"Also Alex . . . I don"t think I said this out loud, but I love you too . "
. . .
While Alex and Rachel were confirming their love for each other, Richter was now face to face with Oliver talking to him .
"It"s been some time James, or should I call you Oliver now," Richter spoke while he was cleaning his firearms in front of Oliver .
"Oliver is just fine . . . So what is it you want from me?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to talk to a former subordinate . I heard you lost Marge and Phil a year ago . That must"ve been devasting, losing your real parents, and even your foster parents . Still, I guess you can keep on going because you have that great la.s.s as a girlfriend, what was her name again . . . Oh right, Sayaka, she"s a pretty wonderful woman, you have chosen well, Oliver . "
Oliver simply continued to listen, even though he got angry when he heard Richter speak of his parents, but he kept it in . He knew what kind of person this person in front of him was . Even if he did go and attack out of anger, he wouldn"t last long, against this old man, especially now that he was weaponless .
Yet the moment he heard Richter talk about Sayaka, Oliver"s whole demeanor changed as he suddenly radiated with killing intent .
"What have you done to Sayaka! Tell me!" Oliver stood up as he shouted in rage .
"Calm down Oliver, I"m here to give you a choice . So you better sit down and listen, if you accidentally p.i.s.s me off, I might just kill you right now . "
Oliver bit his lower lip and sat down with reluctance .
"Good boy, okay then now that we can talk like civilized people, I"m going tell you the choice you need to make . I want you to try and kill my grandson Alex, and if you are able to do that I will release you and all your friends . If you aren"t able to do that then, I"ll kill Sayaka right in front of you, then I"ll kill all your other friends . "
Oliver was first stunned into silence when he heard this statement and then after a few seconds, he started laughing . Richter not expecting such a response grew a bit irritated and asked, "do you think this is funny?"
"Of course I find it funny . Your threats won"t work on us, not one of the students of Sir Lyner would ever succ.u.mb to such a foolish threa-" Before Oliver could finish what he wanted to say Richter kicked him in the gut . The calm old man was now showing his true face, one that of an angry demon . The killing intent he was exuding surpa.s.sed anything Oliver has ever felt before .
"You dare call me foolis.h.!.+ You dare insinuate that a dead man was better than me!" Richter then proceeded to mount Oliver and punch him on his face . Oliver who has his hands chained down couldn"t block, it was a good thing that with his current state he was more tolerant to pain .
After hitting Oliver a few times, Richter was able to calm himself down . He looked at Oliver and saw that the boy was actually smiling, this irked Richter and he simply said, "you will regret making me this angry . "
. . .
After talking to Oliver, Richter told a similar speech to Kei and Niel, where he received a similar response as Oliver"s . Richter who was walking towards his office was very irritated .
"Really even in death your ideals and ways are irritating me . Even in death, you"re such a loud man, Lyner . "
. . .
It was night time and outside the base of the Shadow Mercenaries, number two the only surviving member of Alex"s subordinates was watching the movement of the base as he reported it to Carlo and the others .
Once Carlo received number two"s report he and the others got ready .
. . .
Dan who was standing by finally received the report to start the operation . He went into his Full RELEASE state, his body changed into a form of his younger self, not only that the strain to his body was less than before . This was the result of his training, he rewatched the video of Lyner"s fight multiple times until he somehow understood how Lyner improved the RELEASE technique .
Now his full power was twice what it was before . Dan then at full RELEASE jumped towards the moving underground base of the Shadow Mercenaries and with his full power punched the ground forcing the base to surface .
"Oh yeah! This is what I"m talking about! You b*stards better give back my daughter before I annihilate you all . "
. . .
Alex and the others felt the sudden shaking of the base, but they simply thought it was an earthquake . Richter, on the other hand, knew what was going on and ordered his subordinates to kill the intruders .
. . .
Carlo, number two, Viktor, Kira, and Sora where at the entrance of the base drawing attention . Dan, Kyle, and Luke entered the base to find Alex and company and escape . Majority of the forces from the Shadow Mercenaries rushed out to apprehend Carlo and the others, this was a sign that the distraction was successful .
. . .
Amica who was patrolling the area, was unfortunate enough to spot Dan and the others, at first she was going to call for backup but then Dan initiated an attack once he spotted her . This made Amica hard-pressed to contact the others and relay her position since she was being pushed back by Dan and Kyle"s cooperative play . It was after a few strikes that Dan and Kyle were able to defeat Amica with relative ease .
Luke who wasn"t bothered by the fighting was studying the structure of the base . Once he got a feel of the size and positions of the rooms, Luke had a rough guess on where Alex and the others where being held .
. . .
Richter who was watching everything happening from his study ordered the Executioner and Hektor to kill the intruders inside the base . While Dan and the others destroyed the surveillance cameras everywhere they went, Richter was able to guess their current location by which camera was destroyed last .
. . .
It didn"t take long for Dan and the others to locate, Specter and Oliver whose cells were right next to each other . Once they were free, Hektor and the Executioner arrived at the scene .
"Long time no see nephew . " The moment Oliver saw Hektor his anger rose, and he was about to attack but Dan blocked his path .
"Get out of the way! I"m going to kill that mother f*cking b*stard!" Oliver who was a leaving breathing ma.s.s of muscle was looking extremely frightening as his veins were popping out . Despite the menacing look, Oliver was showing Dan didn"t back off .
"Go and find your other friends and save them . Leave these guys to us, or is revenge more important than you friends?"
When Oliver heard what Dan said he gritted his teeth and escaped alongside Luke and Specter . The only ones remaining now were Dan, Kyle, Hektor, and the executioner .
"It was nice of you guys to let us finish talking," Dan spoke to Hektor with a smile on his face .
"It"s the last time you"ll get to talk to them, so I showed you mercy . " After he was done saying that both he and the executioner attacked . Dan who was in his full RELEASE form intercepted as Kyle supported him from the back .
. . .
The next one Oliver was able to release was Sayaka and Niel . When Sayaka saw Oliver after a year of separation she immediately pounced on him and started kissing him .
"Oly! It"s really you!" The two lovers continued to hug for a minute or two before separating and greeting Niel .
"It"s a good thing to see that the two of you are still the same love birds . " Niel with his iconic radiant aura and smile was happy to see his friends safe and sound .
. . .
Richter who was watching from his office saw that one by one his guests were escaping, this forced him to stand up and gear up .
"If you want something done, you need to do it yourself . As expected everyone else that"s not a Greyhound is useless . "
. . .
After saving Emily Kei, and Evangeline, the next one to be released was Alex and Rachel . When the group saw Rachel was in the same cell as Alex, the group when into a frenzy . It was then Rachel excitedly told the group in the middle of the enemy base, "We"re a couple . " All the girls except for Evangeline was thrilled by the news .
Niel stood beside Evangeline and whispered to her, "you"re not giving up are you?" When Evangeline looked at the smiling Niel, she smiled back . Evangeline once again found her courage and move towards Rachel and Alex .
When Rachel saw Evangeline she was going to say something . She knew what this girl felt for Alex, and she was a good friend and rival . Rachel was about to say something, but Evangeline spoke first .
"First off, Alex, Rachel congratulations on becoming a couple . Now then onto the real business . Alex, I love you! I know you"re in a relations.h.i.+p with Rachel right now, but I"ll say this I"ll never give up . "
The moment Evangeline confessed her love, both Rachel and Alex were dumbfounded . The others, on the other hand, found the whole scene to be amusing . The whole mercenary club except for Alex knew about Evangeline"s feelings, now that she has confessed, they were wondering what Alex would do .
Alex who was in a state of shock was about to say something but was interrupted by Rachel .
"That"s a very bold move, as expected from my rival, but I won"t hand over Alex so easily . " The ladies then looked at each other and smiled . Once he was sure that no one was going to speak, Alex tried once more to talk, but then someone once again interrupted him .
"Oh my, my grandson and his friends, what are you guys doing? It is very dangerous to be walking out right now . There seem to be intruders lurking around . I hope you all go back to your rooms, and if you go nicely I"ll even hand over some cookies . "
The group went into battle-ready stances, they might be unarmed but they were still strong and they outnumber the opponent . If this was any other opponent then the chances of victory would have swayed on their side, but this person was none other than, Richter Greyhound . The chances of him winning against all of them who were weaponless were high .
"Sorry, but none of us want to follow your st*nky orders," Emily spoke for the group .
"I see then naughty children need to be punished . " Richter threw some knives and took out two of his guns and started shooting . The group then started running away, as they headed towards a more open area .
"Rachel, Evangeline, and Kei, I need you guys to find the armory and get some weapons we can use . Once you find some head to the room on the corner over there . " Alex pointed at the room with a huge door . Rachel and the others had no time to argue with Alex"s command and simply did as they were told .
Richter wanted to stop the second group from leaving, but Alex and the others blocked his path .
. . .
Dan and Kyle who were fighting Hektor and the Executioner had won the gruesome battle . Kyle lost one eye, while Dan lost his left arm and an ear . The battle was a close call, strength-wise the executioner outcla.s.sed them all, but because of Dan and Kyle"s superb cooperation, they manage to win .
With their bodies bloodied the two still continued onwards and stumbled upon Luke who was hiding at a corner . Luke who saw them signaled them to keep quiet . The two listened to Luke"s instructions as they saw another Hektor looking a bit agitated .
Dan then started to do some hand signals and told Luke and Kyle that, this was the perfect time to attack . If this Hektor was the same as the Hektor they already killed then taking him by surprise was the best way they could win . Dan also stated that for some reason this Hektor felt more dangerous than the last one . If they missed this chance to attack, they might not get another one .
The two nodded in agreement with Dan"s plans . Kyle then silently readied his rifle and shot at Hektor"s head . Hektor was surprised and was able to barely dodge the attack, but then he saw Dan was right in front of him about to smash his head with his fist . Hektor was unable to react on time and got his head pulverized by Dan"s unstoppable fist .
"That was easier than expected," Dan muttered after killing Hektor .
. . .
Alex and the others were barely holding on, as they tried to fight Richter barehanded . Alex was surprised to see just how strong Richter was . He already thought he was at the same level but it turns out, all the time Richter fought him, he was simply playing with him . Now that he was actually trying it was harder than ever .
Richter"s ability to handle a gun was divine, making the weapons hidden within his body seem to be a part of him . He could do numerous trick shots, but the most dangerous one were the shots that he ricocheted the bullets using the walls, and then using his own bullets. .h.i.ts the other bullets making them move even more erratic .
Alex also noticed that no normal bullet could achieve such a feat, that would mean Richter was using some specialized bullets for the occasion .
It was then the moment when the fight was getting even more difficult, Rachel and the others entered the training room, and they brought tons of weapons . Richter immediately tried attacking the newcomers, but Alex Niel and Oliver blocked his path . Once Rachel and the others were done handing out the weapons, they wanted to join in the battle as well, but Alex stopped them .
Alex who was now fully equipped stood before his friends . "Can you guys let me handle this . Even though he"s psychotic and evil, he is still my grandfather . . . I hope you guys understand . "
The others were at first shocked to hear what Alex said, but then they all started to laugh .
"What the! Alex can actually show such an expression that"s incredible!" All of them said the exact same thing . They weren"t surprised at what Alex said since that was something Alex could say, but they were all surprised by the changes in Alex"s expressions .
After they all agreed to leave things in Alex"s hands, Alex stood in front of Richter with his gun in his left hand and sword in his right . It was a good thing that during the whole fiasco with his friends Richter didn"t attack .
"Discarding your friends to do it alone . As expected of my grandson, you think the same way I do, if you want something done you need to do it yourself . "
"Don"t compare me to you . If I fought with my friends you won"t be able to do anything . As your grandson, even though I hate you from the bottom of my heart, I"m giving you a fighting chance . "
"Hehehahaha! That"s so nice of you Dalvir!" Richter then suddenly attacked, and Alex responded in kind . The two began their dance of death, as they countered each other bullet with a bullet, steel with steel .
The battle was intense as the two moved with superhuman speeds . The people-watching at the side were amazed . They already knew that Richter was a monster, but they never imagined the extent of Alex"s strength to be like this . Even the strongest of the group Oliver was barely able to keep up with their movements .
The battle between grandfather and grandson didn"t last for long . After a few moves, the both of them had figured out the timing of each of their attacks . The two of them stopped and the next would be decisive .
The two once again charged at each other, Richter was wary of an attack to his head since he believed that was the only way to kill him . He even saw that Alex was about to make a slicing motion aimed at his head . The moment that failed he would counter, but then what happened next surprised him . Alex dropped his sword and shot Richter at the chest, and then with swift movements, Alex"s hand pierced right through Richter"s chest .
Alex got a hold of Richter"s heart and pulled it out . The nanomachines could have regenerated the heart if it was still inside but Alex had pulled it out . Richter instead of fearing death smiled at his grandson and spoke in a happy tone .
"You are now the head of the Greyhounds . . . Discard the name, or take it and fulfill the duty that comes with the name . . . It"s your decision . . . Take care Dalvir, live and be happy . . . Finally, I can finally rest . . . " Those were Richter"s last words . Alex stood there in front of the corpse of his last blood relative and felt confused . He really thought that once he achieved revenge, he would be feeling better than this . Yet why does he feel even worse than before?
"Why were you smiling like that?! Weren"t you suppose to be the ultimate villain?! Why did you loos so pleased upon your death? Why did you tell me to live happily?! You were supposed to be an a**hole until the end!"
While Alex was kneeling down in confusion, Rachel approached him and hugged him . Evangeline wanted to do the same thing but gave way for Rachel .
"It"s alright Rachel you can have this one, the next time I"m going all out . "
. . .
After the death of Richter and the other high-level people of the Shadow Mercenaries, the legendary was disbanded . Alex alongside his friends returned home . The war with the Granado Empire was also brought to a stop when the Emperor was a.s.sa.s.sinated by the legendary Shadow . With no central figure to rule them, and with different factions trying to seize power, in the end, the Berdonia and Southern Union alliance teamed up with one of the Empire"s factions that advocated peace .
It took only a few months until the Empire was ruled by the peace faction and became simply Granado .
The war lasted for two years, and everything finally returned to normal . No, it turned out even better than before, because the three superpowers have agreed to form an alliance, to foster peace and stability .
. . .
In Cromer City, in the back of a school building, a scared-looking boy was in front of a door hesitating to open it . Yet after he gathered the courage he turned the doork.n.o.b and entered the room . The moment he entered he saw a boisterous scene, as a group of good looking people were having fun laughing and playing games . When the group noticed the new arrival they smiled and spoke in unison .
"Welcome to the Mercenary Club!"