It's your honor to die by my hands me!

"It can't be. The apocalypse was supposed to arrive at 12 o'clock, but it's only 6 right now," Astarion thought to himself.

[Congratulations, Master. The apocalypse has arrived, and you are fucked now.]

Hearing Sol, Astarion said with an annoyed tone, "Sol, if you had a face, I bet it would be a very punchable one."

[Master, I was just joking. Don't get mad at me.]

Soon, various objects began to fall from the vortices. As soon as these things hit the ground, they started to move and attack the city's inhabitants. Even the staff from the Nexus Tower came outside to witness the unfolding chaos.

"AAAA!!"

"Ah…ah…ga…"

"Painful! That hurts!"

"Don't come close! Stop, you damned bastard!"

"Ah!!! Someone, please help me! That hurts! Stop!"

Within just a few seconds, the entire city was thrown into chaos due to the zombies falling from the vortices. Many zombies even began to approach the Nexus Tower, with some landing near it.

As a zombie approached the Nexus Tower and spotted a staff member, it immediately started its attack.

"Ahhhh! No! Stop it, you bastard!" a female staff member screamed as she tried to fend off the zombie. But the zombie ruthlessly bit into her neck in a single motion.

"What the hell are you guards doing? Fire your damned guns!" Alex, witnessing the attack, yelled at the tower's guards to use their guns against the zombies.

Bang

Bang

Bang

Bang

The guards began firing without hesitation at the zombies. Although they managed to kill the few zombies that entered the Nexus Tower's vicinity, the gunfire only attracted more trouble. The sound of gunshots drew even more zombies from the city towards the tower.

Seeing this, everyone in the Nexus Tower area was gripped by fear, with even more zombies now charging towards them. They were at a loss for what to do next.

[Master, let's go inside the Nexus Tower. It's our only option right now,] Sol suggested.

"You're right, Sol," Astarion agreed. Even though he had somewhat prepared for a zombie fight, he had expected the apocalypse to start at 12 o'clock, not at 6. This early start threw all his plans into disarray.

As they were pondering their next move, they noticed a young man with long black hair and red streaks sprinting towards the Nexus Tower entrance.

"Everyone! Let's all go inside the Nexus Tower first!" Alex shouted, urging the people towards safety.

"Yes, the tower master is right," the crowd echoed in agreement.

But what they saw next filled them with dread. The gates to the Nexus Tower were already closing, with Astarion standing inside, a smirk on his face.

"That bastard, he wants to kill us all! Run!" Alex yelled, prompting everyone to rush towards the entrance gate.

The gate was closing at an even faster rate, and although the distance between them and the gate wasn't very large, it wasn't small either.

Everyone had ventured too far from the gate to see the happenings in the city, and now, they desperately sprinted, hoping to make it in time.

Astarion watched from within the safety of the tower, his smirk widening into a grin. The chaos outside was like a prelude to the new world order he envisioned, where only the strongest and most cunning would survive.

All the members of the Nexus Tower, despite running at their maximum speed, could only manage to get three people inside: Alex, the manager, and one waiter. The others were left desperately outside.

"Hey! Open this damn door!"

"Bastard, open the gate!"

Those left outside were either screaming for entry or had already succumbed to utter panic.

"OPEN! THIS DAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Alex yelled at the manager, his voice booming in desperation, urging him to open the gate so everyone could find safety inside.

But then, an unforeseen horror struck. Alex felt a sharp pain pierce his chest—a transparent sword had impaled him.

In a swift, merciless movement, the sword slashed open his chest, bifurcating him into two.

Before his body was cleaved in half, a voice whispered eerily in his ear, "It's your honor to die by my hands."

"Tower Master Alex, the sword you gave me really is quite exceptional," Astarion remarked, stepping nonchalantly on Alex's severed head. He then turned his cold smile towards the manager and the waiter. "Now, it's your turn."

In a mix of rage and grief, the waiter shouted, "Y-Y-You murderer! You killed the tower master; I will kill you!" He charged towards Astarion with a reckless fury.

"Idiot," Astarion muttered under his breath, effortlessly beheading the waiter in one clean stroke.

Blood from the waiter splattered all over Astarion's clothes and face, marking him with the gruesome deed and making him look even more cool and handsome.

The manager, trembling with fear, knelt before Astarion, his head bowed in a desperate plea for mercy. "Y-Y-Y-Young Master, please, just let me live. I promise to serve you," he stammered, hoping for a sliver of compassion.

"Oh, you promise?" Astarion's voice dripped with sarcasm as he slowly walked towards the frightened man.

"YES! YES! I PROMIS—" The manager's plea was abruptly cut off as Astarion's sword pierced his neck, silencing him forever.

"Too bad, I don't take losers as my minions," Astarion coldly remarked as he effortlessly withdrew his sword from the manager's neck, leaving the lifeless body to collapse onto.

"[Master, you are so cool,]" Sol complimented Astarion, admiration evident in its tone.

"Of course, I know I am cool," Astarion responded nonchalantly. He proceeded to wipe the blood off his sword using the shirt of the manager he had just killed.

Astarion's actions were driven by a couple of reasons. Firstly, he had allowed his intrusive thoughts to take control, and secondly, he simply felt like doing it.