Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 152 - : LAUGHING LAST

"I told you, didn't I? I would take everything from you, just like you took everything from me," Greg said coldly, his gaze fixed on Kyle like a blade.

"Everything?! When did I ever take everything from you?! You're the one taking everything from me!!" Kyle screamed, his voice cracking. He had lost it. There was nothing left to fight for.

"This should help," Greg replied, raising a hand. A soft, ominous glow formed at his fingertip as he pointed at Kyle.

In an instant, Kyle's mind was flooded. Memories long buried—no, erased—came rushing back with full clarity. His eyes widened in shock as everything from his previous life unfolded within him. Within Greg's inner world, nothing seemed impossible. If Greg willed it, it became so. Even restoring someone's memory proved a trivial matter.

Kyle stood still, processing it all.

Then came the laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!" Kyle cackled, unhinged, like a man whose sanity was hanging by a thread. "So that's what it was? All that arrogance, that sense of knowing—it was because you're a regressor? You were always one step ahead, huh? I was a fool to think I could beat you."

He took a deep breath, and his face brightened with a bitter smile. "Well, at least I won once. That's enough for me."

"Indeed, you did win... but in an erased timeline," Greg replied, his eyes narrowing with contempt. "I'm the one who laughs last. I'm the one who holds the final victory. Not you."

Kyle's smile faded like smoke in the wind. He knew Greg was right. Who cared about a win that didn't even exist anymore? It felt like someone else's life now.

"Greg, I'm sor—"

"You can keep your apologies to yourself," Greg cut him off, disgust curling his lips. "It'd be cringe-worthy to let you redeem yourself now. Twisted love, messed-up loyalty, excuses about your upbringing... that's not love, Kyle. It's not enough. I gave you happiness. I took you to my home. I showed you what a real family looked like. And what did you do? You spat on it! You threw it all into the dirt!"

Greg's voice thundered, and the inner world reacted to his fury. The atmosphere tightened like a vice, crushing Kyle beneath invisible pressure.

"Hah... you're right," Kyle murmured with a broken smile. "For once, I agree with you. A bastard like me doesn't deserve to reflect—not when death is this close."

He looked up, his eyes clearer than before, accepting the end. "You took everything from me... but I'll take just one thing from you. I hope you can live without it."

His lips curled into a final, satisfied smile—just before he was utterly erased from existence.

---

***

Kyle gasped as he bolted upright from bed.

"What… what's going on? I thought I died..." he muttered, staring at his hands.

Knock knock.

"Young sir, the master wishes to see you," a maid's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Young sir? Master?" Kyle repeated in confusion. "Is this... the afterlife?"

He stood, examining his surroundings. Everything looked... normal. Too normal. He checked the calendar and froze.

A week before Apocalypse was launched.

Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.

His brows furrowed. "Did I... regress?"

He stood there silently. "Greg, if this is some sort of illusion, end it now. I won't be fooled." He waited for something—Greg's voice, the illusion to shatter—but nothing happened.

"Strange," he muttered and got dressed.

He met his father that morning, receiving one of his usual cold, demanding briefings. The man hadn't changed a bit. Kyle clenched his fists, wishing he had the power to kill him again.

Days passed. A week slipped by. Apocalypse launched. Yet the illusion didn't break.

During that time, Kyle began investigating. He studied everything—and everyone—especially Greg. He watched for signs, hoping to determine whether this Greg was a regressor like himself.

The day the game launched, he got his answer.

Greg, unlike the Greg from this timeline, had spent every last coin to buy the gaming helmet. It was unnatural. Reckless.

Kyle was sure of it now. "He's a regressor... just like me."

A twisted expression grew on his face.

"What a shame. If you weren't a regressor, I might've let you live. But your growth rate in Apocalypse is too abnormal. I can't allow it."

He made the call. His arrangements were already in place. Greg was assassinated before he could ever log in.

Scarlett, talented and valuable, was brought under his wing. He took control of her abilities for his own benefit.

Everything went perfectly.

He became the strongest in the world. Ended the demon invasion. Reigned at the pinnacle of power in both reality and the game. He married Jessica and Annabelle. His life was everything one could dream of.

Years passed.

He lived long enough to see ten generations of his bloodline flourish. A thousand years of glory. On his deathbed, surrounded by loyal descendants, Kyle closed his eyes peacefully.

"Hah... Greg, seems I had the last laugh after all."

---

Crack. Crack. BOOM.

It sounded like glass shattering.

Kyle's eyes snapped open.

He was back.

The void-like space, cold and merciless, greeted him once more.

"No..." he whispered.

"Welcome back, Kyle," Greg said with mock cheer. "I trust you enjoyed your moment?"

Kyle turned to him, his heart sinking.

"What was it you said? Something about having the last laugh?" Greg chuckled, his voice dripping with scorn.

Kyle's illusion—the perfect life, the legacy, the satisfaction—shattered like a mirror. The truth hit him like a tidal wave. He'd been played. Fooled. Turned into a joke.

He had suspected it. But somewhere along the line, he dropped his guard. Now, the bitterness that spread through his chest was unlike anything he'd ever felt.

He tried to speak—but found he had nothing left to say. The words died in his throat.

Greg, now done laughing, wore a cold, solemn expression.

"Alright," he said. "Time to say goodbye."

With a single gesture, Greg erased Kyle completely.

No revival. No second chance.

Nothing.