Reincarnated With An SSS-Rank Talent In An Apocalyptic World-Chapter 74: Consequences Of Moving Stupid

— Beaumont, September 17th, 7am —

I stood at the edge of Beaumont, just steps away from the I-10 bridge over the Sabine River with a team of 250 soldiers, 50 of which were Stage One Ascendants—humans whose stats were around the 7 or 8 point benchmark—all armed. I had Rai’ki hung on my waist, with the ARC-V43 Paladin rifle in hand and the NMX-ZERO Whisper Fang pistol lying quietly in my chest gun holster.

Beside my team was another batch of 250 soldiers, 50 of which were also Stage One Ascendants, led by Lt. Kenza Dorran, a B-rated military-affiliated Limitless with rich experience in battles like this. Unlike my team, which just ignored me, hers interacted with her, sharing information amongst themselves and seeking her thoughts on matters.

It was clear they respected her, probably because this wasn’t her first time on the front lines with them.

She was young, probably in her mid-twenties, with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Her gear was a tight fit, revealing all her curves and assets, which even her men couldn’t help but stare at.

Covering the entire bridge was the red barrier, which stretched deeper into Louisiana. As long as it remained here, we had no chance of getting into the state.

Thud!

Approaching footsteps caught my attention, and I turned to see a man with brown hair and a thick mustache dyed red. He had a hulking frame in a 6’3’’ body that would make you think he was on steroids—but after seeing dozens of Ascendants with the same frame, I was used to it.

Pa!

The man placed his hand on my shoulder with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was clear he was about to do something stupid.

"I am First Lieutenant Cage, the one in charge of the Ascendant team in our forces," First Lt. Cage started his rant in a deep tone, probably to intimidate me. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

’Our?’ I took note of his words and inwardly chuckled. Last time I checked, I was put in charge of these troops—with him included!

But I stayed silent and let him finish spewing the rubbish he had in mind.

"I watched your grand speech to the Colonel and I was touched." Cage patted his chest gently with an amused look, which showed he didn’t mean what he was saying. "But let’s be honest, you are too young and lack the experience to lead these men, and that’s why I’m stepping in."

I felt his grip tighten on my shoulder as he leaned in, pressing down his weight on that shoulder as his face came close to mine.

"So here is what we’re going to do..." he continued, his smoky breath filling my nose. "You stand back and let me take charge of these soldiers. If you prove yourself in battle, I’ll consider training you to be a leader—and one day lead men into battle."

His voice was loud, and I could hear the Ascendants in the back chuckling. This was a game to them—intimidate the young Limitless into submission and show your superiority over them.

"What do you say, lad?" he asked with a wide grin that revealed his yellow teeth, rotting from excess smoking.

BAM!

"Gaah!" Cage cried out like a bitch, staggering back with his hand on his belly and shock in his eyes.

He must have never thought his little intimidation plan would end this way.

"Weaklings acting tough!" I snorted disdainfully as I approached in slow but deliberate strength.

HAAA!

Cage roared as he swung at me, but I casually caught his hand with my left hand before driving my right fist into his face.

Bang!

First Lt. Cage fell to the ground, gasping for air with his mouth while covering his caved-in, bloodied nose with his hands. Gasps could be heard all around as I walked over and got on top of him, holding down one arm with a knee and the other with my foot as I lowered myself down to his level.

"Prove myself... to weaklings?" I laughed hysterically as I grabbed his shirt and pulled him up before driving my fist into his face.

Bam! Bam!

Bam! Bam!

Bam! Bam!

With each punch, everyone shivered while blood splattered left and right. Cage tried to speak, but he was choking on his blood, and we were past the stage of talking. After the sixth blow, he was a bloody mess and my fist was soaked in a mixture of blood, saliva, and tears. I could spot a tooth or two here and there, but none of that mattered to me.

I let go of the weakling and looked up toward the surveillance drone meant to give a live feed on what was going on at the battlefield. I shot a sinister smile at it before turning to the clearly shaken 249 soldiers staring at me with terrified expressions. But why wouldn’t they?

An Ascendant near the level of superhuman was beaten to a bloody mess. This was the equivalent of an infant fighting an MMA world heavyweight champion in the octagon. He simply had no chance from the beginning. Even now, his labored breathing haunted them, and his massive frame didn’t seem to matter anymore.

"I’LL SAY THIS ONLY ONCE..." I yelled at the top of my voice for all to hear. "YOU ALL AIN’T SHIT, AND I HAVE NO PLANS OF COMMANDING A BUNCH OF WEAKLINGS WITH AN OVERINFLATED SENSE OF SELF-WORTH!"

"Prove myself?" I laughed hysterically. "YOU ARE THE ONES WHO NEED TO PROVE YOURSELVES TO ME—AND SHOW ME YOU ARE WORTHY TO FIGHT BY MY SIDE!"

I pointed toward the red barrier behind me and continued.

"AS SOON AS THIS BARRIER FALLS, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. I DON’T KNOW WHO WILL TAKE CHARGE OF YOU, SO YOU BETTER FIND SOMEONE. ALL I CAME TO DO HERE IS SLAUGHTER SOME DAMNED ORCS. I DON’T GIVE TWO FUCKS ABOUT ANY OF YOU, SO LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY.

I CAME HERE TO KILL ORCS, NOT LEAD SOLDIERS...

STAY OUT OF MY WAY, AND YOU MAY JUST LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE TOMORROW!"

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