As Noah approached the visibly thinned hoard of soulless, he reached into his [Zero-Space Dimension Ring] to withdraw a [Grade 1 Potion of Healing] which he brought to his mouth as he tipped his head back to swallow it in one gulp. A wave of lifeforce washed through his body gathering at the bites of his right shoulder and left forearm before he stopped paying it attention.

"I really wish they didn't taste so bad, but I can't argue with their results," Noah complained as his face twisted with distaste.

He took this time to finally investigate the new ability he gained, he focused on the feeling at the back of his mind as he was drawn to the [System Interface] floating in his consciousness. The symbol for his [Omega Role] was still at the hexagon's peak, while the [Wind Blade] ability and [Spirit Armour] ability symbols remained at the bottom. But now besides his [Six Spirit Arms] ability, the previously hazy symbol had taken shape into a distinct form. When he concentrated on the new ability symbol, he heard the voice of the System inside his head.

[Very rare Mental ability awakened: Battle Instinct. Observe sigils of activating abilities and the flow of lifeforce beneath the surface. Can also instinctively predict future dangers during battle, the greater the number of altered life forms, the greater the effect.]

When Noah tried to activate [Battle Instinct] ability on his own, nothing happened.

It must only activate on its own when I'm in the middle of a battle or when I'm about to be in danger.

"I wonder how much Merit I have after all of that," he wondered out loud.

[Current Merit value: 880.]

Noah was surprised when the monotone soundless voice of the System unexpectedly answered him.

"I didn't know it would do that. What else will you tell me?" This time only silence answered him.

I must have been too vague, or the System only has limited interaction.

Noah seemed to have forgotten that he was still in grave danger as the hoard of soulless was currently ignoring him because survivors were forced into the streets as the entire city was reduced to ruins as the trial phase ended. His attention was drawn to a large muscular man who looked like a biker leading a group of survivors.

The man was covered in tattoos with a thick handlebar moustache and stubble wearing a leather vest, ripped jeans and a red bandana on his shaved head. He would swat any soulless that jumped at him out of the air with his bare hands which would glow as lifeforce flowed into them.

If the man swatting soulless aside like they were annoying flies wasn't incredible enough. As the monsters attempted to regain their feet, they would become encased in a layer of stone, turning them into statues.

Noah could no longer see any black lifeforce from the soulless encompassing the biker without his [Battle Instinct] ability activated. He could only assume that they were killed

A grade two soulless that had been turned to stone by the biker was only restrained temporarily before cracks began to appear on its surface. One of the women among the surviving people following the biker let out a cry of alarm. The freed soulless leapt towards her before releasing a scream as it tackled her to the ground slashing its claws into her chest before sinking its horrifying teeth into her throat cutting off the woman's scream.

The biker turned back to curse at the dying woman as she let out a gurgle of blood before yelling at the remaining survivors to run, and they're on their own as he shoved past a duo of soulless drawn to the woman's scream.

***

Noah heard the echoing cries of a baby as he caught sight of a phantom appearing at the edge of his vision nearing the water's edge. The cries came from different directions as Rachel travelled using her [Blink] ability.

He turned to get a better look. Rachel reappeared, holding the still-fussing baby cradled, away from where Noah's attention had been drawn. As Rachel appeared, she slashed out with her knife, which only appeared to lightly graze a grade two soulless blocking her path.

He became worried about the pair's safety. But he had no reason to fret as the cut rapidly spread. A moment later, the cut connected perfectly on the monster's back. The terrifying monster seemed bewildered as it took a step forward, it was bisected in half. Collapsing in opposite directions.

By this time Rachel had already appeared at another location after she bisected another creature, this time a grade two which noticed her slash reacted in time to lunge at her. Rachel seemed to be unbothered as she gracefully danced out of the demon's reach before lightly cutting the length of its arm that quickly expanded before vertically dissecting the creature's entire body.

Rachel once again used her [Blink] ability to flicker through the horde of soulless. Wherever Rachel reappeared, death would follow her like she was a god of battle. Noah felt Rachel looked incredibly beautiful as she weaved through the swarm of demonic monsters completely untouchable.

Time seemed to slow down as Rachel's blonde hair streamed out behind her, glancing in Noah's direction. Not one drop of black blood was able to land on her flawless, faintly glowing skin before she was once again gone.

Rachel appeared regal and dignified as she moved through the horde with the grace of a Queen.

Rachel arrived at the water's edge then completely bypassed the ruined dock to appear on a luxury sailing yacht that held an elderly couple and young girl. Rachel handed the still fussing baby to the elderly woman before turning to face Noah standing undisturbed among the thinned crowd of soulless.

He felt his breath catch as Rachel beamed a radiant smile towards him. She waved at him then blew him a flirtatious kiss before following the elderly woman cooing to the baby into the yacht's cabin. He was awakened from his daydreaming by a soulless lunging towards him.

The creatures finally noticed his presence as more fleeing panicked survivors arrived, leading more soulless behind them. His battle instinct once again sprung to life to twist his body out of the creature's trajectory and to hold his sword in the creature's flight path with both hands. The creature helplessly flew into Noah's outstretched sword, decapitating itself at the neck. The pitiful soulless turned its head to watch him with its empty black eyes which seemed to show surprise as its head continued to fly through the air.