Reborn With the Infinite Gods System

"Lower your power level!" Williams commanded in a harsh whisper, his eyes scanning their surroundings. He was already reducing his own to an imperceptible zero, his aura flickering out like a dying ember. Trisha followed suit, her energy disappearing into the void as she concealed herself.

The two had barely survived the onslaught of beasts that had come their way. Blood and gore painted the landscape around them, the creatures they'd just slain laying in heaps. But now, with their energy signatures suppressed, they had a brief moment of calm. It wasn't victory; it was survival. For now.

Trisha frowned, looking down at the broken shards of what was once her weapon. The blade had cracked under the pressure of the battle, leaving only the jagged edges intact—useless for combat, but good enough for one last task. She crouched down, her hands moving with precision as she dug into the fresh corpses of the beasts, pulling out their still-warm cores.

The act was almost mechanical, her expression one of cold efficiency.

"High-quality military-grade tech, huh?" she muttered bitterly, tossing the shattered blade aside with a clatter. "It didn't even last a full fight."

She slid the extracted cores into her bag, her movements sharp, deliberate, hiding the frustration building inside her. These weapons were supposed to be reliable, something she could count on in the chaos of the battlefield. Instead, she was left scavenging with scraps.

Trisha stood and made her way toward Williams, her eyes narrowing. One question burned in her mind. "Where did Thor go? He should've returned by now."

Williams glanced at her, but there was no answer in his eyes—only something else, something lurking behind his indifferent facade. He shrugged, his lips curling into a smirk that made Trisha's stomach tighten with unease.

"Who knows?" he began, his voice unnervingly casual. "But tell me something, Trisha—what do you see in Axel?"

She blinked, caught off guard. Her head jerked back slightly as if she'd been physically hit. "What are you talking about?" she snapped, her defenses rising immediately. "Excuse me?"

Williams's smirk widened, the look of someone who knew he had stepped into dangerous territory but relished it. "I'm just curious," he said slowly, savoring every word. "Why do you like Axel? I mean, he's... nothing special."

Trisha's eyes flashed with anger. "You're unbelievable." She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, her fists clenching by her sides. "Axel has more qualities than you could ever dream of, Williams. Compared to him, you're nothing but a mouse." Her voice dripped with venom, and her glare could have cut through steel.

Williams's demeanor shifted in an instant. He grabbed her shoulder, his fingers digging in hard. "Is that how it's going to be?" His voice was low, dangerous, his breath hot against her face. "Axel is useless. He has no wealth, no influence—nothing compared to me. He's arrogant, reckless, and—"

*Slap!* The sound echoed through the air like a crack of lightning. Trisha's palm had collided with his cheek, the force of the hit turning Williams's head. His face flushed with shock and pain, his hand flying to his stinging cheek as his eyes burned with fury.

"If I wasn't trying to keep my power level hidden from the beasts, I'd kill you right where you stand," she hissed, her voice barely controlled. She stepped back, her whole body vibrating with anger.

Williams's grin didn't fade; if anything, it grew. He let go of her shoulder, then, in a sudden motion, grabbed her by the waist, pulling her in close. His face hovered dangerously near hers, his breath cold and reeking of spite. "Meaning you can't resist me," he whispered, his lips inches from hers. "Or else, you'll give us both away—"

*Crack!* A solid punch to his nose stopped him mid-sentence. The force of the blow sent Williams crashing to the ground with a sickening thud, blood spurting from his nostrils. He lay there, stunned, staring up at the sky as he processed what had just happened.

"You bitch!" he spat, sitting up, blood running down his face and onto his clothes. He clutched his nose, his hands shaking as he tried in vain to stop the bleeding. The pain was sharp, more intense than he'd expected, and it humbled him in a way that made his fury burn even hotter.

"I'm not weak," Trisha said coldly, her voice like ice as she stood over him. "And the next time you lay a hand on me, I will kill you—beast or no beast." Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed off, following the direction Thor had gone.

Williams watched her retreat, fury bubbling just beneath his skin. *A whole S-rank hunter*, he thought bitterly, *brought down by a single punch*. This humiliation wouldn't stand. He slowly stood, his body trembling from the blow, but his pride more wounded than anything else.

As Trisha moved further away, Williams raised his right hand, staring at it as if expecting it to betray him. Slowly, a grotesque mouth formed on his palm, twisting into a smile of its own.

"So this is your plan?" the mouth taunted, its voice a raspy hiss. "To force your name on others? How... pathetic."

Williams scowled. "No," he muttered. "I'm creating a rift. I'll make Axel and Josh Roark fight. And when one of them falls, I'll devour the victor, gain his ability... then I'll take out the other while he's still recovering." He paused, a twisted grin forming on his lips.

"A slow, steady climb to the top."

The mouth on his hand puckered its lips, as if mocking him. "And what about the Voidwalker pandemic? You think that's just going to let you climb to the top unchallenged?"

Williams chuckled darkly, wiping the blood from his nose. "Oh, I've got plans for the pandemic," he said, his voice almost gleeful. "Big plans. The Voidwalkers are just a tool—a means to an end. When I'm done, I won't just rule this world. I'll conquer the universe itself."