Javier's face contorted with rage as he continued to hurl a string of slurs at the supervisor. Then suddenly, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, causing him to freeze mid-sentence. Turning around, he found Seren staring at him with a grave expression etched across his youthful features.

"Your time will come, Javier," Seren whispered. "But let me take over for now. Theo has a plan."

Javier's eyes darted towards Theo, who responded with a subtle nod, his face a mask of solemness. With a resigned sigh, Javier stepped aside, allowing Seren to move past him.

Seren approached the supervisor, his demeanor unnervingly calm given the dire circumstances. The supervisor's eyebrows raised in intrigue as he observed the young man's composure.

"I expected all three of you to start shitting your pants after being cornered like this. But you, boy, you're as cool as a cucumber. Interesting." The supervisor drawled, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Seren's lips curled into a small, enigmatic smile. "It's easier to accept defeat when you know you were completely outmatched. But it stings far more when you realize that victory was within reach, yet slipped through your fingers."

The supervisor's eyes narrowed. "Quite the wise words for someone your age," he remarked, studying Seren more closely.

Seren took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging slightly as if under an immense weight. "What's going to happen to us now?".

The supervisor's face split into a cruel grin as he began to explain their fate. "First, we'll capture you. Then, after the manager takes care of your other team members, he'll either kill you or sell you into slavery. Simple as that."

Behind Seren, Theo gulped audibly, while Javier scoffed, his fists clenching at his sides. Seren allowed his face to crumple, feigning distress at the supervisor's words.

After a moment of tense silence, Seren spoke again, his voice quavering. "What if... what if I told you everything I know about the Ravens? Even their secret passages?"

The supervisor leaned forward, intrigued.

"But I have a condition." Seren continued, "I want you to give us all a chance to survive. Fight one of us, one-on-one. If we win, we go free. If we lose, you can do whatever you want with us, and I'll spill everything about the Ravens."

The supervisor stopped to think through Seren’s words. The air grew thick with tension as Theo and Javier silently waited to hear his response. But then suddenly, the supervisor burst into mocking applause. "Bravo, boy! A clever plan to stall for time until the Punishers arrive, disguised as some one-on-one matches. I'm almost impressed."

Theo's heart dropped, fear gripping him since it didn’t matter how good their plan was if the supervisor didn’t follow the script.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Seren nodded. "You're right," he admitted. "That was the true motive. It's a last-ditch effort, given that you're a Rank 2 Lexarch and our highest is just a Rank 1 Superior. Our chances are slim, but it's all we have."

For some reason the supervisor's confidence wavered slightly, unnerved by Seren's brutal honesty.

Seren pressed on. "The Punishers won't be here for at least 30 minutes. If you agree to the match, I'll uphold my end of the bargain, regarless of the results. If not..." he paused, his eyes hardening. "Well, we don't mind ending our lives right here and now."

Javier's eyes widened in shock. 'What the hell is that idiot saying?' This wasn't part of the plan.

The supervisor's eyes darted between the three of them, searching for any sign of deception.

The plan was clever and risky. With death or slavery as their only options, they had nothing to lose by offering whatever they could to survive. The supervisor could choose to ignore Seren’s words and let them die, doing his job without any gain for himself. But if he could learn about the secret routes the Ravens used, he might earn a promotion or sell that information for a lot of soul stones.

It was a straightforward plan that aimed to take advantage of the supervisor’s greed and the supervisor knew this as well.

After what felt like an eternity, he straightened up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Hmph, even if it's a trap, I don't believe you could get past me and my guards that easily," he mused aloud. Then, with a dramatic flourish, he declared, "Very well. I agree to your arrangement."

‘Yes!’ Theo's heart soared, hope rekindling within him. Seren turned to Javier, his eyes filled with a mix of sympathy and determination. Javier ruffled his hair in annoyance, muttering, "Don't expect much from me."

As Javier moved past him, Seren whispered urgently. "Just survive somehow,"

Javier didn't respond, but as he stepped forward to face the supervisor, he felt a newfound respect for the young boy who had managed to buy them this silver of chance at survival.

“Yo, supervisor” Javier called out. “If we’re gonna have a one-on-one match, I should at least know your nam–”

BANG!

Javier’s words were cut short as something invisible slammed into him with the force of a freight train. The force launched his body and he crashed straight into the crates of stones on the side.

Seren and Theo watched with widened eyes.

There was no sign of movement, Javier’s body was buried under the piles of rocks.

The supervisor's lips curled into a sly smile. "So," he drawled, his voice dripping with false sweetness, "wanna tell me where the secret hide routes of the Ravens are?"

Theo was shocked to his core. He had been watching Javier intently, but he didn't even see the supervisor lift a finger. It was as if Javier had been sent flying by an invisible force.

"Y-you attacked before the match even began!" Theo accused the supervisor of cheating. he shouted, his fists clenched at his sides.

The supervisor's face contorted into an obviously fake expression of surprise, his eyebrows shooting up in mock innocence. "Oh, I didn't know there were any start signals to a fight in real life." He chuckled darkly, the sound sending chills down Theo's spine.

Theo clenched his teeth, his jaw aching from the pressure. He hadn't expected the other party to be so despicable, especially when Javier was obviously weaker than them. The unfairness of it all made his blood boil.

On the sidelines, Seren watched the scene unfold with cold eyes. 'Do I have to send Theo now,' he pondered, 'or should I just go ahead and stall for time myself...'

Even though Seren was only a Lesser Rank 1 Lexarch, if he really wanted to, he could kill the supervisor right there. The two new relics he had obtained from the tall man he had killed earlier gave him a power boost. But using everything he had would leave him drained of soul energy after the fight. It was a risky gamble.

Just as Seren was weighing his options, he heard small rustlings.

Rustle Rustle

Suddenly, a hand shot up from the pile of stones that Javier had crashed into. With a burst of energy, Javier erupted from the rubble.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"This ugly shit!" Javier cursed, his voice hoarse with pain and rage.

The supervisor watched with surprise as Javier started walking towards him, sporting just a nosebleed and a look of pure fury on his face.

"HAHA! That's it, Javier!" Theo cheered, his earlier fear replaced by a surge of hope and excitement.

Javier spat out the blood in his mouth, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. "Screw your plans," he snarled, his eyes locked on the supervisor. "I'm going for the kill."

"...Huh?" Theo's cheering stopped abruptly as a stupid look appeared on his face.

Leaping Frog Relic!

With a sudden burst of speed, Javier leapt forward, crossing the distance between him and the supervisor in the blink of an eye.

Spectral Blade Relic!

A shimmering, spectral blade extended from Javier’s wrist, humming with deadly energy. He slashed viciously at the supervisor, aiming for a killing blow.

But instead of the expected sound of cutting flesh, Javier heard a dull, earthy sound. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a wall of sand suddenly appearing in front of the supervisor, blocking his attack.

The supervisor's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping low. "100 Fist Relic," he intoned. The air shimmered, and a translucent fist materialized mid-air.

Time seemed to slow as the spectral fist hurtled towards Javier's face. In a desperate move, Javier managed to bring his other hand up just in time to block the attack. But the force behind the punch was overwhelming and he was sent flying back several meters, his feet skidding across the floor as he struggled to regain his balance.

Finally coming to a stop, Javier looked ahead, a stunned expression etched on his face. The sand that had appeared beside the supervisor now moved with an eerie, life-like quality.

"T-that relic," Theo pointed, his voice trembling, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and disbelief.

Seren looked at Theo with a confused expression "Is there something special about that relic?"

Theo's face grew pale, his lips pressed into a thin line as he turned to Seren with a grave look. "That relic the supervisor just used... it's the Sand Shifting Relic. It lets the user turn their surroundings into sand and control it at will. It's not just powerful; it's downright terrifying in the right hands."

Seren's gaze snapped back to the supervisor, watching as the sand moved around him like a living, breathing snake.

Then he heard Theo continue. "But this relic isn't sold by the Ravens or even available in Chimera Vale in the first place. We don't have the breeding ground to create a Law like Sand Shifting. The only way he could have gotten his hands on this is if..."

Javier's voice cut through the tense silence, finishing Theo's thought with a similarly grave tone, "If it was brought from the outside."

This had enormous consequences. It meant either the Backdoor Collective or the Black Hand had connections to another place like Chimera Vale, a fact that could upset the power balance of the Ravens and possibly the Chimera Vale’s as well.

The supervisor gazed at Javier with an unnervingly calm look. "I wasn't planning on using this relic, but you've got quite the speed, forcing my hand." A small smirk played at the corners of his mouth as he added, "Starting now, I shall take you a bit more seriously."

With a fluid motion, the supervisor lifted his hand, and the snake-like sand surrounding him suddenly came to life, coiling and uncoiling before shooting forward toward Javier with frightening speed.

Leaping Frog Relic!

With catlike grace, Javier quickly leapt to the side, the sand missing him by mere inches.

"Follow," the supervisor commanded. The sand immediately changed direction and chased after Javier.

Javier's feet had barely touched the ground when he sensed the sand closing in again. Without hesitation, he activated his Leaping Frog relic once more, channeling his soul energy to propel himself away.

Like a frog evading a predator, Javier kept dodging the sand as it pursued him endlessly.

'This thing is way too fast!' Javier thought with a frown, his eyes darting around for any advantage. 'I can't find any opening to attack.'

Just as Javier landed back on the ground once more, putting a considerable distance between the sand and himself, he heard a shout come from the side.

"Javier, jump!"

He flicked his head and saw another snake-like sand shooting toward him from a different angle.

Panic flooded Javier's system as he poured all his soul energy into his relic and leapt with all his strength. The sand snake barely grazed his feet as he escaped to the roof.

Javier reached the ceiling and grabbed onto the ceiling light, not daring to come down as the two sand snakes wriggled on the floor below. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, his heart pounding in his chest as he realized how dire the situation had become.

Looking up at Javier, the supervisor's smile widened. "Why don't you come down? I promise it's not going to hurt much."

Javier just cursed under his breath in response, his mind racing to find a way out of this predicament. After a moment of tense contemplation, he resolved himself to action.

"Rank 2 Relic. Phantom Mist" Javier declared. He sucked in a deep breath, feeling the power of the relic coursing through him. Then, with a forceful exhale, he released a large amount of white mist from his mouth to fill the hall below.

"Won't there be repercussions if he uses a relic that is a higher rank than himself?" Seren asked. His eyes darted between Theo and the swirling mist that was slowly engulfing half of the hall.

Theo took a moment to gather his thoughts, his gaze fixed on the scene before them. The white mist crept across the floor like a living entity, obscuring their vision.

Finally, Theo said, "A Lexarch can only safely use a relic that is one rank higher than himself. It will cost double the amount of soul energy than normal, but it's manageable." His expression then grew more serious. "However, if a relic is two ranks higher than a Lexarch, the person will likely suffer varying amounts of backlash and won't be able to use the full capabilities of the relic. It's a dangerous gamble that most aren’t willing to take."

Seren nodded, a look of understanding dawning on his face as he gazed back at the swirling sand around the supervisor.

'...this means it's safe for me to use higher rank relics...'

Then, an eerie, emotionless smile crept across his face, hidden from Theo's view. His thoughts turned dark as he made a silent decision:

'I have decided. I will kill this man by the end of this mission!'

At that moment, the supervisor suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine as if death itself was upon him. Instinctively, he activated his Sand Shifting relic, commanding both sand snakes to attack. But they lashed out at empty air, finding no target.

Beads of sweat formed on the supervisor's forehead as his heart pounded in his chest. The mist had become so thick that he could no longer see Seren, but for a second he had felt an overwhelming threat come from this side.

'...What was that?' A flicker of fear crept into his thoughts, momentarily shattering his composure. He tried to rationalize it as an effect of the surrounding mist. Looking up, he realized he could no longer see Javier either, only the endless expanse of white mist.

Meanwhile, Javier, still hanging from the ceiling, surveyed the hall below, now half-covered in thick white mist. He sighed helplessly. 'Now I only have half my soul energy left.' Despite his depleted energy, he steeled himself for the fight ahead. With a deep breath, he let go of the ceiling light and descended into the mist, disappearing from view.

"Contact them now," Seren instructed Theo, seizing the opportunity provided by their concealment from the supervisor and guards. Theo nodded solemnly, pulling out the chatterbeast with a sense of urgency.

Plick Pluck

…

"Ronan, change of plans," Theo's voice came through. "Rush to the Berkeley Pub that is halfway between Wellington Street and the Lots Restaurant. And connect me to Matilda and Oliver."

Ronan stood silently in the middle of a street, surrounded by dozens of men wearing the Black Hand's badge on their chests, looking at him with intense gazes. His face was a mask of seriousness as he wordlessly connected Theo to Matilda and Oliver.

…

Plick Pluck

"Matilda, this is Theo. We're currently caught in an ambush by the Collective and need your help. I want you to push forward the schedule for the Lullaby by 15 minutes."

Matilda's heart leaped into her throat at Theo's words. She quickly grabbed the chatterbeast, her voice trembling with worry as she replied, "No! It's too dangerous, you could get caught up in it!"

Hearing this, a small smile appeared on Theo's lips as he responded, "Trust me. I will survive."

Matilda's face darkened with concern, but she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Alright, take care," she whispered.

Turning to Wyatt, who sat cross-legged nearby with his eyes closed, she announced, "We're setting up the Lullaby 15 minutes early." Wyatt nodded, fear evident in his tense posture.

"Kieran, forget about guarding and supply your soul energy to setting up the Lullaby," Matilda called out to a distant figure standing several meters away. Kieran silently complied, walking over to sit beside Wyatt and beginning to channel his soul energy.

…

Plick Pluck

"Oliver, this is Theo speaking. There's been a change in plans, and I want you and everyone else to make your way to Berkeley Pub just north of Wellington Street as soon as possible."

Theo's voice echoed from the chatterbeast in Oliver's pocket, but there was no response. Unbeknownst to Theo, Oliver's motionless body hung in the air, lifted by the neck in Dorian's grip. Flames crackled ominously around them, casting dancing shadows on Oliver's lifeless eyes.

"Hmph, killed by something as simple as this" Dorian's dark voice echoed in the now torn down restaurant.

Time left until the Lullaby sets off:

10:00

9:59

9:58