Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 163: The Heavenly Blast.

Chapter 163: The Heavenly Blast.

Scarlett blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his tone. Instead of the excitement or curiosity she had expected, there was something else in his voice, something heavy.

Sadness.

Despair.

Her brows furrowed with concern as she studied his face. What happened to him?

"Are you okay?" Scarlett finally asked, her voice gentle but filled with worry.

Garvin let out a deep, weary sigh. "It’s nothing." His eyes met hers, searching for something, understanding, maybe? But he quickly shook it off. "What do you mean, we’re going to stop the wedding? Aren’t you already here?"

Scarlett exhaled sharply. "Yes, I’m here, physically, but my replica is at the wedding. It’s happening right now. The time freeze is over." She grabbed his arm firmly. "We need to hurry. I’ll explain more later, but what you need to know is that we finally have a chance. We can defeat these motherfuckers." A smirk tugged at her lips, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "We’re in for a good show. So let’s go."

Without waiting for a response, she pulled Garvin up from the ground.

They moved quickly through the dimly lit corridor before Scarlett abruptly stopped, realization dawning on her. "Wait...do you know where Jaden and Little Hope are?"

Garvin nodded. "They’re definitely here. We were brought in together, but we got separated later."

Scarlett inhaled sharply, a plan already forming in her mind.

Create another replica of me.

The thought barely crossed her mind before, in a shimmer of energy, a perfect duplicate of herself materialized in front of them.

Garvin recoiled slightly, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What the..."

"Find Hope and Jaden," Scarlett commanded her replica, her tone unwavering. "Once you do, inform me immediately then I’ll give you other instructions. Use the invisibility spell until you get there. I have plans for the guards outside, but until we arrive, stay unseen."

The replica nodded, a knowing smile curling on her lips. "Affirmative, boss." She bowed slightly before vanishing into thin air.

Garvin was still gaping, struggling to wrap his head around what just happened, but before he could form a question, Scarlett grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "Come on."

She cast an invisibility spell over both of them, and together, they moved silently through the organization’s hallways.

Fortunately, Kato wasn’t monitoring this location at the moment, he was busy at the other facility. That made it significantly easier for Scarlett to take down the soldiers but she didn’t.

Garvin couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t killing them.

He leaned closer, whispering, "Why aren’t we taking them out for good?"

Scarlett didn’t break her stride. "Not yet," she whispered back. "We need to reach the wedding venue first. If we start a bloodbath now, Kato will be alerted, and we can’t afford that. Timing is everything."

Garvin gave a small nod of understanding, though he still clenched his fists, itching for a fight.

They continued their silent trek until they finally stepped out of the building and into the compound. The air was thick with tension, the night sky looming overhead like a foreboding omen.

And then, Scarlett had an idea.

It came like a whisper in her mind, a spell she hadn’t even realized she knew. Without hesitation, she began reciting the incantation.

The words flowed from her lips effortlessly, powerful and ancient.

Garvin’s heart pounded in his chest as the energy crackled in the air around them. Yet, inexplicably, he found himself joining in. The words came naturally, as though buried deep in his subconscious, waiting for this exact moment.

As their voices intertwined, the sky above them shifted.

Darkness unraveled, and in its place, an unnatural brightness filled the heavens. The stars twisted, circling each other like celestial sentinels. The night turned into a surreal imitation of daylight, blinding, searing, unholy. It wasn’t just one sun; it was as if thousands of burning orbs had ignited at once, swirling in a chaotic, mesmerizing dance.

Scarlett and Garvin spoke in unison, their voices merging in a resounding command.

"The Heavenly Blast!"

Their gazes remained locked on the sky, where their eyes caught sight of the One-Hour Scanner. A massive, glowing sigil shimmered in the heavens, counting down to an inevitable reckoning.

The guards standing on high alert, along with the scientists scattered around the compound, froze in place. Shock and utter disbelief painted their faces. Murmurs of confusion rippled through the crowd as they moved back and forth in a frenzy, struggling to comprehend how the darkness of night had suddenly turned into a blinding midday light.

Scarlett’s expression hardened. Her voice cut through the chaos like a sharpened blade.

"Every Changed Chosen member will be eliminated in exactly one hour. All organization leaders..."she narrowed her eyes, her tone ice-cold..."will die."

Garvin, still reeling from the incantation they had just performed, let out an amused breath. He glanced at Scarlett, his lips curling slightly.

"I’m powerful after all," he muttered. "I didn’t even realize I was chanting with you until the words were already leaving my mouth. It was... strange. The language was unfamiliar, but at the same time, it felt like I’d known it my entire life."

Scarlett gave him a knowing smirk before tugging at his arm. "We can figure that out later. Right now, we move...we can get our answers from the system after we finish this."

Without hesitation, she pulled him forward, weaving through the compound until they reached the surrounding forest. The thick canopy of trees cast eerie shadows on the ground, but the unnatural daylight they had summoned flickered through the leaves like firelight.

They continued through the dense forest and approached a crumbling structure, the eclipse Organization.

Scarlett wasted no time. They slipped past guards and scientists, moving swiftly and unnoticed, until they reached the farthest end of the organization’s stronghold.

The wedding hall.

The room was grand, adorned with luxurious banners and chandeliers, casting a golden glow over the attendees. Rows of elegantly dressed individuals sat in anticipation, their eyes fixed on the altar where Kato stood, ready to exchange vows with Scarlett’s replica.

Scarlett’s lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"This is it."

Garvin exhaled sharply beside her. His jaw tightened as his gaze locked onto Kato.

Before Scarlett could speak, a familiar voice echoed in her mind.

"I found them."

Her replica.

"Hope and Jaden are safe now."

Scarlett’s mind sharpened with resolve.

"Good. Take them out of the organization. Stay under the invisibility spell. Wait for Garvin and me in the forest. We’ll meet you soon."

"Affirmative, boss," the replica responded before cutting the connection.

Garvin turned to her, his expression dark with anticipation. "What now?"

Scarlett’s smirk deepened. "A big show."

With a snap of her fingers, the invisibility spell cloaking them shattered.

Instantly, gasps of horror and disbelief filled the hall.

The once lively, laughter-filled room turned deathly silent as all eyes landed on Scarlett.

The Monster Queen.

A woman they had been hunting.

A woman who was now standing before them, alive and unchained.

To make matters worse, her replica, still in the form of Maya, turned her face back into Scarlett’s, sending fresh waves of shock through the crowd.

Kato’s face drained of color. His jaw slackened, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Y-you...?!" he stammered.

One of the organization leaders bolted up from his chair, his expression a mixture of fear and rage. "The Monster Queen?! How the hell are there two of you?!"

Scarlett met his glare with a sly smile. "Because that’s my replica."

With a single flick of her wrist, the replica vanished into thin air.

More gasps.

Even Kato stiffened.

One of the high-ranking organization leaders turned on Kato, his face twisted in fury. "You were actually about to marry the Monster Queen, you bastard?! How dare you?!"

Kato’s expression darkened, but instead of responding, he acted.

In a blur of movement, he lunged.

Before Garvin could react, Kato grabbed him by the collar and yanked him close, pressing a sharp blade against his throat.

The entire hall tensed.

Garvin froze, his pulse steady, his gaze unwavering.

Kato’s voice was laced with venom. "You’re playing with fire, Scarlett." His fingers tightened around the hilt of the blade. "I don’t know how you managed to get him out, but tell me..." his lips curled into a cruel smirk, "....can you really stand there and watch him die?"

Scarlett’s response was immediate.

She laughed.

Loud, sharp, unbothered.

Her eyes gleamed as she tilted her head slightly. "Go ahead, then." Her voice held no fear, only deadly confidence.

Kato’s smirk faltered.

Garvin, who had remained silent, suddenly heard Scarlett’s voice inside his mind.

"Stay still. He can’t kill you. If he tries, he’ll only end up hurting himself instead."

Garvin’s eyes widened slightly.

A mind link?

He clenched his jaw and remained motionless, trusting her words.

The room was charged with tension, thick enough to suffocate.

Then, one of the organization leaders stood abruptly.

"Cut the crap!" he snapped. "Now that the Monster Queen is here, she belongs to us now."

Kato’s grip tightened on the blade. "Stay back!" he barked, his voice laced with desperation.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and heavily armed guards stormed into the hall.

Each one held AK-47s, their fingers hovering over the triggers.

Kato’s smirk returned as he addressed the room.

"I don’t care if you’re Changed Chosen members. Most of you are on your last system. One bullet to the head means death for you."

The threat hung in the air.

"If any of you really want to die before the real game starts, then by all means, step forward. But understand this..."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping into a sinister whisper. "You might not die from the bullet, but you will die in this room."

Silence.

The weight of his words settled over the crowd like a thick fog.

Victor, who had remained seated, exhaled sharply. His fists clenched against the armrests of his chair. His voice, when it came, was low but laced with barely restrained fury.

"What do you mean by that?"

Kato turned his gaze to him, his smirk widening. "Step forward and find out." His eyes gleamed with a wicked light. "You could use yourself as an experiment. What do you think, Victor?"

The room tensed further, a silent war playing out between their gazes.