Near the exit of the Brooklyn Bastion Bridge in the exclusion zone of Manhattan, a young man attired in a black suit stood amidst the flattened wasteland before him. The breeze whisked through his fedora as strands of his jet-black hair swayed with the cold wind.
Damien watched the destruction brought about by the powerhouses of SIGIL from two perspectives. One was through his eyes, staring along the outskirts of the devastation. The other was with his summoned monster, Freedom Eagle, soaring across the heavens unhindered.
"I expected the sixth Paragon to be a monster. But I didn't think that even my senior would be so powerful." Looking at the deep canyons in the middle of the flattened skyline alone brought chills to his spine.
The edges of his lips curved into a complicated smile. After all, he realized how far he was from the summit of the New World. "It appears that withdrawing from the battlefield was an excellent choice."
"Otherwise, I could have become collateral between the battle of two powerhouses." He shook his head as he continued watching through the eyes of his summoned monster. "It ends now, huh?"
His senior was finally walking away from the sixth Paragon, who could only watch from a distance. Without a doubt, there was history between the two of them. But he considered it impolite to question such matters with his senior.
After all, she had done so much for him. At the very least, there was a tinge of closure during this battle. 'Is it worth it, though?' Manhattan was no less different than the Bronx, whose borough was consumed by a crater.
"Well, it was nothing more but ruins to begin with." Damien sighed to himself as adaptation was paramount in his line of work. Besides, he was somewhat responsible for the devastation.
"I am too weak..." It was the truth that he needed to face. In comparison to the powerhouses of the New World, he was no less different than a baby. He was merely too lucky that the old swordmaster didn't take him seriously.
If the sixth Paragon had gone all out from the start, there wouldn't be a corpse of Damien left behind. 'I need Terror Points and the evolution of my monsters. I also need to improve my own strength. Or acquire abilities that could ensure my survival.'
His fists were clenched as he hardened the resolve that burned within his heart. It has been no less than two weeks since his awakening in the New World. There was time for him to get stronger. Patience, endurance, and opportunities were what he needed.
As he stood in silence, a gorgeous lady appeared beside him and gave a gentle smile. It was none other than the second-in-command of Block 7, his senior Francine. She got closer to her junior, each step soft yet decisive.
Her sapphire-like irises peered through the golden-tinted eyeglasses. Her plump velvet lips opened as she remarked with grace. "How was my performance, Damien? You wanted to see my Brand, correct?"
Hearing her soothing voice, Damien regained his focus and nodded in agreement. "The two of you were strong, Francine. As expected of the powerhouses of humanity. None of you even went all out."
Francine softly chuckled and mildly asserted. "It was impossible for the two of us to go all out. Brooklyn is nearby. Even if we hated one another, our duty as Jaegers is paramount alongside the safety of humankind."
Jaegers were the guardians of humanity in the New World. They were the pillars that stood against extinction. Regardless of their grudges, core priorities needed to be dealt with. After all, humanity couldn't afford catastrophes.
Damien turned his sable-tinted gaze towards the gorgeous senior and asked. "I do wonder, Francine. You seem to have the strength to become a Paragon. Why are you working as a secretary for Miss Alastair?"
It was a simple question that inquired about why she was loyal to the seventh Paragon. With her power, she could do whatever she wanted, and the Federation of North America would tolerate her.
Francine sighed and walked through the fortified bridge. "Strong individuals have their pride. I am the same. I didn't follow Miss Alastair because of her free ideology, but her capabilities and strength."
"The reason why I became her secretary was two things. I was defeated by her, and she stands as the strongest." She continued traversing the fortified bridge and glanced back at her junior. "Don't fall behind, Damien."
"While I and that old man have withdrawn from fighting one another. A sneak attack isn't beneath him. You should be careful." Francine gently smiled and kept on her way. She had concealed her strength for so long.
As to why she unveiled her power? It was because of the simple fact that Block 7 was about to rise in the ranks of SIGIL Divisions. More juniors would join her and Miss Alastair. So, it was reasonable to warn the wolves.
The hunter will hunt them down once they dare to touch the flock representing the new generation. 'CORE, how shall I deal with you? Perhaps, I will wait for Miss Alastair's return before making a move.'
On the other hand, Damien's thoughts drifted to a couple of minutes ago. Before the exclusion zone of Manhattan was flattened to the ground, thunder roared while the ground trembled. His attention was consumed by a single notification window before his perception.
It contained the evolution of his first summoned monster, Eclipse. The meter was filled to the brim while the requirements were laid bare. It was expensive, requiring him to spend a thousand Terror Points to begin the evolution.
Although he could have spent those thousand Terror Points to acquire his second EX summoned monster. He didn't want to rely on luck and instead wanted to gather an elite group of monsters. He ought to focus on quality rather than quantity.
In any case, it wasn't like he was bankrupt due to the evolution. The Terror Points he had gained from the destruction of the mercenary group were half a thousand alone. He could probably purchase a monster from the Paranormal Banner.
'24 hours for the evolution to be completed. Eclipse will jump from first-star to two-star.' His thoughts turned towards his summoned monsters; each of their evolution meters grew steadily.
'If I want to survive in this world, I must evolve all of them and grow.' Damien resolved his doubts and opened a path for himself. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the back of his senior and followed her.
"Francine, how do I get stronger?" He asked his senior, who merely waved her pale hand. "I will make you stronger, Damien. Block 7 does not need weaklings. Besides, as an Aberrant, what you need is time."
His face broke apart as she reminded him of their boss, the seventh Paragon. 'So, Miss Alastair has already rubbed off her. Well, it's not like there weren't any signs. The two of them have been together for years now."
"Are you gonna pay for the collateral damage? Manhattan has been flattened by you and the sixth Paragon." Damien questioned with a smirk, halting the gorgeous and poised lady. But it broke apart after he saw her gentle smile.
"I believe my junior will help me pay off the damages. After all, didn't you complete the commission from CORE?"
One word escaped his mouth.
"Damn..."