"What's wrong with being called Divine Ruler?"
"It sounds like a name a narcissistic tyrant would give himself."
Neo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had used the title to find Jack.
And he was being mistaken as narcissistic because of it.
Emma was about to return to the city when she sensed monsters approaching them.
"It's Anomaly #79," Neo muttered.
He left to take care of the monsters.
Emma was frozen stiff.
She doubted her ears.
"Anomaly #79...?"
A few minutes later, Neo was fighting monsters when Apollo rushed out of the city.
He looked like a star flying in the night sky, his body wrapped in golden light.
Before Apollo could join Neo, a giant wall of darkness erupted from Emma and stopped Apollo.
Apollo frowned.
"What are you doing?"
He landed next to her.
"Why did you stop me? We—"
"Neo Hargraves is fighting Anomaly #79."
"…!?"
Apollo's eyes constricted to the size of needles.
"Are you sure he has been marked by Anomaly #79?"
"He said it himself, and you should be able to sense him fighting multiple similar-looking monsters."
Apollo nodded with furrowed brows.
The two of them waited for Neo to return.
He came back after a few dozen minutes,
his clothes covered in dust and blood.
He noticed the heavy atmosphere around Apollo and Emma.
"…?"
"Was that Anomaly #79?" Apollo asked, hoping Neo would say otherwise.
"Yes."
"…"
Apollo closed his eyes, covering his face with both hands, and sighed.
"Dammit."
"What's wrong?" Neo asked as he used water created by the Water element to clean his body of blood and dust.
"Before that, are you the only one who has been marked by Anomaly #79?"
"No," Neo said. "There is one more."
"Who?"
"Kane. The old man who carries the katana."
Apollo became silent.
When Neo thought he wouldn't speak, Emma opened her mouth.
"Kane will have to come with us.
"Since both of you have been marked by Anomaly #79, you need to come to the Awakener Association's headquarters,
"Or else you both will be killed by the Anomaly #79."
"The way both of you are acting…" Neo pursed his lips. "Has someone been killed by Anomaly #79?"
Emma nodded.
"The reason our association doesn't patrol the north of Africa much is due to Anomaly #79.
"It is one of the oldest Anomalies," she explained.
"The risk rating of Anomaly #79 is still unmeasurable.
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"If you see its face, the Anomaly #79 will kill you. There is no defeating it or running from it.
"We've tried everything for the past fifty years, but we've always failed.
"The only way out is prevention.
"Do not look at Anomaly #79's face."
Her tone became somber as she added,
"Benjamin—True Name 'Uranus'—the first and the strongest S-ranker, went on an expedition with other high-ranking members of the Association.
"The expedition's goal was to eliminate Anomaly #79.
"Do you know what happened to the expedition?" she asked.
Her tone and expression answered plenty.
Neo's lips parted.
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