Death System: I awakened SSS rank System-Chapter 68: ALL IN THE NAME OF JOB APPLICATION

The air had long since lost its stillness. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

It churned now twisted, folded, and crushed under the sheer weight of two overwhelming presences that refused to coexist peacefully within the same space.

The ground beneath their feet had already given up resisting; cracks spread endlessly in jagged patterns, sinking deeper with every pulse of power that leaked into the surroundings.

Nero Void stood where he had been left, unmoving, his white robe swaying faintly despite the violent pressure saturating the air. His expression remained calm, too calm but his eyes had sharpened in a way that betrayed his interest.

The earlier amusement he carried when facing weaker prey had vanished completely, replaced by something far more focused.

Opposite him, Enjin straightened his posture slowly, rolling his shoulders as though preparing for something far more serious than what had just occurred.

The bodies of the three underlings lay scattered behind him, broken and unmoving, their defeat not just decisive but humiliating. There had been no hesitation in his movements, no wasted effort only clean, brutal execution.

Nero exhaled softly.

"So," he began, his voice low yet echoing strangely across the fractured ground, "you’re not just another insect looking to prove a point."

Enjin smirked faintly, his metallic gauntlets forming gradually over his hands with a smooth, liquid-like motion that reflected the dim light around them. The metal grew, crawling over his skin as if alive.

"I didn’t come here to prove anything,"

Enjin replied, his tone calm but edged with quiet confidence. "I came because I heard something interesting."

Nero tilted his head slightly, the faintest hint of curiosity returning to his expression.

"Oh?"

Enjin took a step forward.

The ground beneath his foot dented slightly not from weight, but from the pressure of contained power.

"I heard you people hired someone. An assassin." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Name was Caslurk."

At the mention of that name, the atmosphere shifted again subtly, but noticeably.

Nero’s lips curled into a slow smile.

"Ah... Caslurk." His voice carried a strange amusement now. "A useful tool... until he wasn’t."

Enjin’s gaze hardened.

"He’s dead."

"Yes," Nero said simply. "He failed."

Enjin’s smirk widened slightly.

"That’s why I’m here."

The words settled like a challenge. Nero’s eyes gleamed faintly.

"And why would I need you," he asked, "when I’ve already seen what happens to assassins who fail me?"

Enjin didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, the metal around his arms expanded stretching outward, reshaping into sharp, jagged extensions that gleamed with deadly precision. The ground beneath him cracked further as his aura surged outward in a sudden, violent burst.

"You won’t," Enjin said calmly.

And then—

He vanished.

A metallic blur cut through the air with terrifying speed, closing the distance between them in less than a heartbeat. The sound came after the movement a sharp, slicing shriek as hardened metal tore through space itself.

CLANG!!!!

The impact exploded outward.

Nero hadn’t moved far but he didn’t need to.

One of the massive white serpents behind him lunged forward, its scaled body intercepting the strike with brutal force. Sparks erupted on contact as Enjin’s blade-like arm clashed against the serpent’s hardened hide.

The serpent hissed violently, its massive body recoiling but not before Enjin twisted midair, using the recoil to launch himself upward.

"Fast," Nero muttered, watching closely.

Enjin didn’t respond.

Instead, dozens of thin metallic spikes formed around him instantly floating, rotating, aligning with perfect precision.

Then they dropped like rain.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Each spike struck with explosive force, tearing into the ground, shattering the stone-like pattern of the serpents and forcing them to coil defensively as they absorbed the barrage. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring everything in a thick haze.

But Enjin wasn’t done. He descended with it. His body spun as the metal around him reshaped again this time forming a massive, crushing hammer that came down with devastating intent.

CRASH!!!

The ground gave way completely. A crater formed instantly, deep and jagged.

For a moment there was silence. But then—

A hiss. A dangerous signalling one.

The dust shifted. And from within it, Nero stepped forward.

Unharmed. Enjin’s eyes sparked in shock.

One of his serpents had taken the full brunt of the attack, its body now cracked and broken but still moving, still alive, coiling protectively around him.

Nero’s smile widened.

"Good," he said softly. "Very good."

His eyes locked onto Enjin.

"Now it’s my turn."

The second serpent moved first.

It didn’t strike, it erased distance.

Its massive tail slammed forward with overwhelming force, faster than before, heavier, sharper.

Enjin reacted instantly. Metal surged beneath his feet, launching him backward but the impact still caught him partially, sending him skidding across the ground with violent force. The shockwave alone tore through the terrain, ripping apart everything in its path.

Enjin steadied himself mid-slide, digging metal claws into the ground to halt his momentum. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. But he was smiling.

"Better," he muttered. Now he had found a worthy opponent.

Then he moved again. This time, faster. Sharper. His entire body became a weapon, metal shifting, reshaping, adapting with every motion. Blades, spears, shields..each forming and dissolving in perfect sequence as he closed in once more.

Nero didn’t retreat, he just watched and studied every movement, every shift, every pattern. And then—

He responded.

The serpents moved in unison now, their attacks no longer reactive but predictive. They cut off Enjin’s angles, forced him into tighter spaces, limited his movement.

CLANG! CRASH! BOOM!!!

The battlefield became chaos.

Metal against scale.

Enjin struck again and again, his attacks precise, calculated, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, he began to lose ground.

Not because he was weaker.

But because Nero was learning.

"You’re an assassin breed," Nero said suddenly, stepping forward for the first time during the exchange.

Enjin’s movement faltered for a fraction of a second. That was enough. The serpent’s tail slammed into him fully this time.

BOOOOM!!!

He crashed into the ground hard, the impact tearing a deep trench across the battlefield. Blood spilled freely now.

His metal armor flickered unstable.

Nero approached slowly, his expression no longer amused.

"Efficient. Direct. No wasted movement," he continued. "You don’t fight like a warrior. You fight like someone who kills for a living."

Enjin coughed, forcing himself up despite the damage.

"...And you talk too much," he muttered.

But Nero ignored the remark.

"You came here for a job," he said.

Not a question. A statement. Enjin smirked weakly.

"Yeah," he said. "I heard about the target."

Nero’s eyes sharpened.

"Zakar."

Enjin’s grin widened despite the blood.

"I want to hunt him for a good damn pay."

Silence followed. Nero laughed. Not loudly, but genuinely.

"You came all this way," he said, "to apply for a job?"

Enjin didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

The battlefield spoke for him.

The broken ground. The fallen underlings. The damage he had endured and still stood.

Nero studied him for a long moment.

Then the serpents retreated.

"Very well," Nero said calmly. "You’ve proven enough."

Enjin exhaled slowly, his body finally relaxing as the tension faded.

"For now," Nero added, his voice dropping slightly, "you’ll have your chance."

A pause.

Then a faint smile.

"But understand this... the one you seek isn’t prey."

His eyes gleamed.

"He’s something far more interesting."

Enjin wiped the blood from his mouth, his grin returning fully now.

"Good," he said.

"That makes it worth killing."