"Kugh-!"

Blood drips unto the floor, forming red puddles in the grass and stone.

"Like I said,"

Meghan stands over him, eyes a glowing magenta.

"Steroids, really?"

The mass of muscle chuckles, staring up at her.

"You're strong."

Just like I thought.

Second watches her from a distance.

Her ability is absolutely ridiculous.

When he first saw her, her ability was hidden from him, blocked by a black wall. His own ability wasn't strong enough to see her own.

He can definitely see why now.

And Andro's....

He squints at them, staring at the blackened box covering the notification window above their head.

Looks like they're too much for me to see as well.

The red dome in the mall has attracted most of his attention. Taro and Kichi? They're doing just fine, of the numerous notifications of them killing a clone is anything to go by. Frozen and Lore have come out victorious as well. Frozen was impressive, but Lore....

What a useful power she has....

And who can forget Eclipse? Holder of the Leader's Flag, and currently fending herself from an army rush of clones that rush at her. As long as she's in the sunlight, the beans of light never seem to end, and neither dies the bodies that fall as a result.

The clone user has to be getting tired. Most of them are focusing on Eclipse now, but with Frozen and Lore now free...

The air gets colder as ice spreads across the floor in breakneck speeds, turning the floor under the clone's feet into an ice rink. Easy pickings for Eclipse as they slip and slide, hindering their own teammates.

.....She should be fine. What's really worrying me....

Second turns and places a hand on the barrier, frowning as its repelled, along with a notification:

[Only two users are allowed in the one-on-one zone.]

Hunter had used his Ultimate on HAV0C, trapping him in a zone with just the two of them inside. Second can only guess what's going on in there, but it's definitely not good. Hunter is out for HAV0C'S blood, and now that he's got him, he won't let the boy go off easy.

He's going to torture that boy until he's begging for death-

A notification appears in front of Second. His eyes scan the message, and his heart sinks.

[HAV0C has died.]

A quick glance around tells him everyone else have also received the notification, with various reactions. Eclipse is visibly shaken, tears pricking her eyes as she grips the flagpole. So is Lore, clutching unto Frozen who's gritting his teeth. Kichi is actually crying, curling into a ball with Taro defending the young boy with a dwindling supply of arrows.

Meghan keeps a stone face, but her stance has gone rigid. And Andro.....

This is the last thing everyone needs. This drop in morale could ruin everything!

For a moment, Second is stumped on what to do. Is there anything he can do? Can anything he says change-?

A new notification. One of pure gibberish. Then:

[HAV0C'S ability has awakened!]

...........Huh?

How could HAV0C have gained his ability? He's already dead-

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A muffled explosion from within the dome, followed by a disturbing scream catches everyone's attention. Confusion, hope, apprehension, a cocktail of emotions.

Then the dome begins to crack.

Crk-

Crk-

Second slowly begins to back away. In his mind, it didn't make sense that Hunter would forcibly shatter the dome when he can just deactivate it. So that means.....

BOOM-

The dome shatters, an explosions of red shards that shatter against the ground. Shards that chase a body spinning through the air, hitting the ground with a sick thud. It's head nothing more than a bloody red pulp.

That's-

[Hunter has been killed!]

Second stares down at them, noting the shattered limbs, all bent and twisted.

HAV0C......did this?

From the darkness of the fading dome, a figure emerges. Surrounded by notifications.

[HAV0C has won the duel!]

[HAV0C has leveled up!]

[Calculating reward.......]

[HAV0C has acquired Hunter's Mark!]

That was Hunter's skill-

[Skill will automatically activate in conjunction with other skills.]

Second frowns at that.

In conjunction with other skills? Like all of them?

Then.....

His eyes widen.

Oh no.

He cries out to the boy.

"DON'T COME OUT-!"

Their foot leaves the dome.

[Hunter's Mark and Detect Bloodlust has been activated!]

Second can only watch as the boy begins to convulse, curling into themselves.

[Detect Bloodlust] is a skill that enhances one's senses in order to sense all one's desire to hurt or kill. If not careful, one could suffer from a sensory overload in a violent situation, for obvious reasons.

[Hunter's Mark] is a skill that allows one to place a mark on someone that allows them to tracked down and followed. The skill has a massive range, and the closer the user is to their target, their stats actually increase. A tracking and buffing skill. But the closer the user gets, the more their mind detoriates.

One skill causes sensory overload. The other causes mental instability. If used together, and in such a situation...

HAV0C begins to scream as black-blue energy surrounds him once again.

[HAV0C'S mental stability has vastly detoriated.]

[GvfhvgvczfAWAKENING has been activated.]

.....the user could be driven mad.

______________________________________

".....Well. That's an interesting side-effect."

"With his strange ability, and those debuffs, he could end up attacking his own teammates. He's nothing but a danger to both parties now."

"Hmmmm, not really. There is one thing his teammates could do in order to evade his wrath."

".....Really? What is it?"

The masked boy grins, staring at Second through the numerous screens surrounding him. "You'll see."

"I believe our strategist has already figured it out~"

______________________________________

All eyes are on the screaming boy, who's acting as if he's being burned alive. The floor beneath him is crumbling, cracking under his feet as he staggers forward.

"HAV0C.....?"

Eclipse swallows thickly, unable to tear her eyes away from the boy. He turns at her voice, dark blue crackling out of his eyes. Whatever's happening to him seems to be darkening his very skin, turning patches of it charcoal black. He snarls. Then he's gone, becoming a black blur that rips through the mall towards her.

"ECLIPSE!"

Second starts forward, but he knows its pointless. He's nowhere fast enough to stop him. So all he can do is scream out as HAV0C barrels through a blast of ice, ducks under an arrow aimed for his head, and smashes through a purple barrier created infront of him.

"ECLIPSE! STOP FIGHTING! DON'T ATTACK, JUST STAY STILL!"

He's met with a bewilderddyand confused gaze, but the beams of light around her vanish as HAV0C descends upon her. She raises her arms in a feeble attempt of defence,squeezing her eyes shut.

She feels the rush of wind, hears the tearing sound of flesh and the snap of bone. But the pain never comes.

What?

She opens her eyes a crack, opening them fully when she's met with nothing. He isn't there in front of her anymore.

Where did he....?

The crack of bones come from behind her and she turns around to see HAV0C pinning a clone to the ground, a hand clenched around its throat as h crushes every bone in its neck.

"It hurts....why are you hurting me....?"

He tosses the clone aside and rises to his feet. For a moment he and Eclipse lock eyes. Black and blue. Mother and son.

Then he's gone, becoming a vicious blur that tears through clone after clone in front of her.

"It hurts....?"

"HAV0C'S skills are hurting him." Second speaks quietly. How he got to Eclipse so quick, she'll never know. "Sensory overload, and a degradation in his mental state. He's just a few clicks above a wild animal at this point. An animal with a prey, a target."

"A target...."

She freezes.

"You mean-"

"Sources of bloodlust. And what do you think is the biggest hotspot of that right now?"

".....Oh, Holy Orion."

"Yes....that. HAV0C is focusing on the clones. They're the biggest source of bloodlust right now."

"Then how do we......"

"There's nothing we can do to help him. All we can do, is stay out of his way...."

A clone is crushed under HAV0C'S foot.

"And let him go wild."