Unfortunately, the author clearly didn't hear him.
Because it was EXACTLY what Nero expected.
Looks like it's time to settle old grudges.
"..."
Marcus turned around slowly with that predatory grin that screamed, "You're dead meat."
His eyes were locked on Nero with pure malicious intent.
"Well, well, well..."
And then he started walking forward with that cocky swagger that made Nero want to cringe.
"Look what we have here. All alone, with no silver-haired bitch to save you."
Nero just stared at him with the most deadpan expression humanly possible.
His brain was practically screaming at the sheer predictability of this whole situation.
'... Are you fucking kidding me right now?'
"Let me guess," Nero said, sounding bored as hell. "You're going to say you're going to kill me and all those third-rate villain cliché bullshit lines?"
The big guy's grin faltered.
His eyes twitched with genuine surprise.
"... How the hell did you know?"
Marcus actually looked cautious now, staring at Nero like he just pulled some mind-reading magic out of his ass.
Nero internally muttered to himself while maintaining his deadpan stare.
'Am I really in a novel written by a third-rate author? Why do all the cliché plotlines keep happening?'
But out loud, he just shrugged,
"Well, your face looks like a predator looking at prey. It just gives that kind of feeling, yeah?"
"Hoohh?"
Marcus's confidence came flooding back like a broken dam.
"You know you're going to die, and yet you're still calm about it?"
He gave an eat-shit grin that could probably be seen from space.
His arms suddenly flared up with that same red-orange physical enhancement from before.
The muscles on his arms bulged like they were inflating with steroids and pure rage.
His expression then shifted from cocky to straight-up murderous.
"The shame I felt that day... that silver-haired whore making me look like a fool in front of everyone..."
Marcus's voice was getting more unhinged by the second.
"I'm going to crush you into fucking bits and make you suffer for every second of humiliation I endured."
Nero just raised his hands in a "calm down there, buddy" gesture.
"Chill out, dude; your veins would pop if you got any angrier."
His tone was still casual and completely unbothered by the death threats from the guy who's almost twice his size.
"Besides, isn't it your own fault you got your ass handed to you by Aurelia? You were being a complete douchebag."
That comment hit Marcus like a slap to the face.
I mean, it's true, but a musclebrain like Marcus practically won't admit that.
It's a sore spot and a reality he won't accept but would rather turn his deaf ears to.
It's like the man is a toxic douchebag, and he definitely knows it but won't accept others pointing it out.
It's a messed-up mindset befitting for a third-rate villain like him.
And the effect was instantaneous, of course.
The big guy's expression went from murderous to absolutely fucking livid.
The red-orange glow around his arms intensified as his face turned almost black with rage.
That's it.
Marcus completely lost his shit.
All of the muscles in his body instantly tensed and then,
*WHOOOOSH!*
He disappeared.
No, that wasn't right. He didn't disappear.
He was just so goddamn fast that it looked like teleportation.
One second he was standing five meters away, and the next he was right in Nero's face with his giant fist about to throw a charged-up punch.
'Oh, crap.'
Nero's passively enhanced instinct kicked in just in time.
*CLANG!*
He managed to parry the punch with Dawnbreaker, but the impact from the blow still sent shockwaves through his entire arm.
He immediately created distance, backpedaling like his life depended on it.
Which it probably did, considering the amount of sheer force he could feel from that punch.
His arm was trembling from the impact.
Heck, if it were him from before, his arms would've been crushed, let alone parried that attack.
'It seems he got a lot stronger than before.'
And faster too, obviously.
The fist this big guy's throwing is like a metal block trying to smash to your face instead of a hand made of flesh and bones throwing a punch.
It's absolutely ridiculous how much change the apocalypse brought to everyone ever since it started.
"You can still dodge that? Impressive."
Marcus confirmed his thoughts with another mocking grin.
He cracked his knuckles like he was warming up for the real show.
"You know what I've been doing this past month while you were playing hero with your friends?"
Marcus started pacing like a caged animal.
"Grinding, training, consolidating every skill I could get my hands on."
Those eyes were gleaming with that special kind of crazy that came from too much power and not enough brain cells.
"All so I could beat that silver-haired bitch into submission and mop the floor with your pathetic face."
"Wow, what a productive use of your time."
Nero didn't even bother hiding his sarcasm.
But Marcus was on a roll now. He's completely ignoring his mockery.
"You know what's funny? As much as I wanted to fuck that angel of yours..."
He licked his lips in a way that made Nero's skin crawl while also making his blood turn cold from rage at what he was hearing from this trash's mouth.
"Vincent has his eyes on her. Sadly, I have to give up on that particular prize."
'Of course, it's that fake businessman bastard.'
Nero wasn't surprised at all. They'd been expecting Vincent to make his move eventually.
He, Aurelia, and the trio of friends talked about it before and how ominous and sly he could get behind those sweet words of his.
"But not all hope is lost!"
Marcus continued his villain monologue like he was reading from a script.
… It's definitely fascinating when a person is dedicated to their role.
"I was given permission to beat and torture you. Maybe even have some fun with the girl from your friends..."
His grin got even more disgusting.
"That timid one. Yui, wasn't it? She looks like she'd be fun to break."
Nero's casual demeanor finally cracked for just a second.
A flash of genuine anger crossed his face, almost escaping his inner cold rage.
But Marcus was too busy jerking himself off with his own evil speech to notice.
Or more like, he's enjoying every second of it, trying to disorganize his mind and see the reaction of Nero by revealing all his wicked plans.
"You're probably wondering why I've been so quiet all this time, right? Why I didn't come for revenge immediately after that humiliation?"
He started laughing like he was waiting for this exact moment to reveal this shit.
"Vincent's been keeping me on a leash. But now? Now I'm off the chain, baby!"
"..."
Nero doesn't know if that's something to be proud of, considering how your "boss" is treating you like a small-time lackey or a pet.
Nero guessed that this dumbass was too much of a braindead that he got easily manipulated by the other party.
But still, he also had to admit, this exact dumbass was actually useful.
Here he was, engaging in a full talkfest while revealing their entire plan to his enemy.
What more could he ask for from his enemy?
It's definitely hilarious at this point.
It was like watching someone play chess by eating their own pieces.
But still, there's still one thing to worry about…
'Vincent Cross, huh?'
So the bastard was finally making his move, as expected.
'Vincent's already moving his pieces while me and Aurelia are stuck in this fucking maze.'
Marcus still kept spouting his third-rate villain bullshit, but Nero was putting together a clearer picture.
The manipulating bastard had finally begun pulling the strings after a month of waiting.
And if Marcus were here, running his mouth instead of being back at camp...
Nero's expression became more serious as the implications reached his brain.
'If this dumbass is here doing Vincent's dirty work, then the Camp is probably in danger right now.'
His eyes narrowed at the realization.
'If that's so, then those trio of friends can handle it, knowing how much they've grown… But if they fail…'
Nero thought of the little girl named Lisa; he gave the angel feather as an insurance of things.
'It must've reached my angel waifu by now.'
***
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