Lyon POV:

The number of Blood Hounds chasing after us grew to staggering amounts in no time. Some came from above, some from below, some from the inside of buildings—they were everywhere.

I dashed from rooftop to rooftop using Ghost almost all the time. It was more taxing than I expected, especially since one strike didn’t knock them out. Many of them could take anywhere between 6 to 10, and that number only grew as the more powerful Blood Hounds joined the fray.

‘!’

I kicked off the ledge and bolted towards the ground as a Blood Hound broke through the wall of a building. I blocked the flying stone fragments with my body and snapped his head back. He crashed into a bin and laid there unconscious.

Isabelle had stood in front of the kids, but I had made it in time.

“Get going.”

I sprinted back up the wall and took care of the tens of Blood Hounds closing in. Minutes passed, and a few beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I flew all over the place.

‘This won’t work.’

My movements had become increasingly more efficient, but the unpredictability of the Blood Hounds rose—they started using their heads more.

Some threw objects to hide behind in order to close the distance, while others used their unconscious comrades as shields. Each wave was inching closer than the next, and at this rate, it’d only be a matter of time till they reached us.

I dropped to the ground again, creating a small shockwave that pushed a few of them back. I released more of my Ki and sprinted up the wall as fast as I could. I reached the rooftop ledge and launched myself high into the night sky.

My body spun as I flew higher and higher. I angled myself properly in order to look down at the Blood Hounds that had drawn dangerously close to everyone escaping in the span of those last few seconds.

‘Ghost.’

Hundreds of violet lines assaulted my eyes at once as I winced from a throbbing pain that sharply penetrated my mind. I grasped them all in a split second and fired off several attacks.

Blasts of Ki bolted down the long paths, rippling the air along their predetermined trajectory before snapping all of their heads back. I watched them collapse as I began to fall back towards the earth.

“Ugh...”

I landed on a ledge and felt the blood vessels in my eyes pop. Small pools of blood spilled over, trickling down my cheeks. I had thought that my usage of Ghost had improved dramatically, but it appeared I had still barely scratched the surface.

Thanks to that large-scale attack, I was able to catch a short breather. I ignored the intense burning pain assaulting my eyes as I quickly calculated that around 5 more minutes was needed until we would break out of the inner part of District 3.

“Awoooo!!!”

I heard a large wolf-like howl thunder through the sky behind me as Gia and Isabelle immediately looked up at me.

“Don’t stop!”

They kept running, and my senses soon became overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Blood Hounds heading this way. I had been dealing with hundreds, but this... This wave had well over one thousand charging towards us from every angle at an unfathomable pace.

I had no choice but to do another large-scale attack again. If I let them get any closer, I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I bent my knees and felt the ledge crack beneath my feet, followed by a blast of air as I launched myself high into the sky.

‘Ghost.’

The sheer volume of violet lines almost made me vomit blood. Some of them were still too far away for the force of my intent to be strong enough to knock them out.

I clenched both my fists, and my eyes flashed. I saw them overlap with a Panther's for a split second, followed by a burst of Ki that spread out around me through the sky; to the ground like a shockwave.

The majority of the Blood Hounds instantly stopped moving—their bodies paralyzed with fear, unable to take a single step forward. The Blood Hounds that could still move trampled over them or pushed them aside as they charged towards us.

I landed nimbly on the rooftop and wiped away the blood pouring out of my nose with the back of my hand. The stinging pain temporarily shifting my mind away from what I had just done. The number now was far more manageable; a couple hundred of Blood Hounds wasn’t a problem.

“Holder, pick up the pace!”

“Y-Yes!”

I kicked off the ledge and flew towards a large open street that was full of Blood Hounds trying to cut us off. My fists flickered as I tore through them, breaking their bones and battering their bodies.

I jumped off one of their heads and reached the rooftop again. I could sense a few of them drawing near to the rear, so I knocked the rest out here and darted back.

This back-and-forth process continued for a further 8 minutes. Due to having to adjust our route every time the Blood Hounds tried to cut us off, it took longer than planned to reach this far.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Finally, we broke out of the inner part of District 3 and made it back onto the path I had already cleared. I let out a sigh of relief, but life here was never that easy.

‘!’

Gia's eyes set ablaze as she glared at me. I could feel it too. There were two powerful Ki's heading directly towards us, and I knew what I had to do.

“Gia, do it now!”

“Cloak.”

They disappeared in front of my sight as I dashed towards the two powerful enemies chasing after us. I released my Ki, successfully baiting them to follow me while I darted through the rooftops, reaching the inner part of District 3 in no time.

‘!’

A flash of light entered my vision, and I jumped out of the way. The blade destroyed the whole building as a beautiful woman wearing high heels stood on top of the rubble. She had dark green ombre hair with a scabbard attached to her waist. I looked up at her when something else entered my vision.

I flipped backwards as a fist ripped through the air. Another beautiful woman appeared but compared to the woman using a sword; she was in a league of her own. She had black cherry hair and purple lipstick that seemed to match her dark attire.

“Incredible. I hope you know I took the bait on purpose.”

Her voice was attractive and extremely pleasant to listen to; it lured you in. I watched her get into a stance as her Ki exploded. She was truly at the Shin Stage, and that meant she was also an ability user.

‘Not good...’

“I am Solina. Now show me your value.”

She licked her lips lightly as her hand shot forward. I spun inside and placed my hand on her chest, but she rose her knee, knocking my wrist away before it reached her. That same leg then extended and swung down in one continuous motion.

‘!?’

I raised my guard, but her strength was unbelievable. The ground beneath my feet cracked apart as I sunk deeper into the destroyed earth. I pushed her leg away, by using the Offensive Stance, only for another flash of light to appear, forcing me to lean back as a blade sliced through the air.

‘Pantheon Style: Awakening.’

I hadn’t used it earlier just in case a situation like this happened. The Mark wrapped around my arm, and an explosion of Ki pushed the two of them back.

‘Ghost.’

I watched Solina's smile widen as the violet paths entered my vision. The other woman's sword cut through the ground as a storm of earth shards hit me.

‘?’

I dashed out of the way, but the violet lines around Solina began to vanish. She was closing her openings? Or was this something else?

“Oh, don’t be too surprised. We’ve just started. Once I’m done with you, you’ll lead me to the Amplifier.”

My lips curved upwards as I observed the two of them standing in the wide street. Neither of them would be getting past me today or in the future. Her eyebrows twitched slightly as she saw my smile.

“Esmeralda, get serious.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her Ki erupted around her as she unsheathed her blade.

“I hope you both can keep up with me.”

“Watch your mouth.”

Esmeralda kicked off the ground, her blade leaving faint afterimages behind it as she drew arcs of light all over my body—she was fast. I jumped to the side, barely avoiding the explosiveness of her attack that detonated the ground in my previous position.

Solina didn’t miss that opening, and her fist shot forward instantly. By the time my feet touched the ground, I had already spun inside again. She raised her knee, but this time my leg went high. Her lips widened, and her eyes flashed.

‘!’

My foot smashed against a rock-hard barrier near Solina's face. I fell off balance, and her fist crashed into my chest. She twisted it, forcing the impact to rob the air out of my lungs as the sheer force of her blow launched me into a nearby shop.

I tore through the foundation of the building, causing it to collapse as my body bounced and crashed through multiple walls before finally coming to a stop.

“Keuk!”

A pained cough escaped my mouth as my eyes widened. I rolled to the side just in time to avoid her foot smashing into the wall behind me. Her kick contained so much force that it ripped through several buildings in its path effortlessly.

‘!’

I dashed out of the falling construction, only to be greeted by Esmeralda’s sword dropping down from the sky. I sidestepped it and spun. My foot sank into her ribs while her facial muscles contorted in pain as she blasted off into the opposite side of the street.

I sensed Solina coming and was about to dodge when the earth grabbed hold of my feet. I used Ghost to offset her punch coming towards me and twisted my neck. It grazed past my cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood in the process.

“Should I increase the pace?”

Her arms flickered, and her hands crashed into me with extreme precision. I broke free from the earth restraints and met Solina head-on as blood flew out of my mouth.

Her power was incredible, and each strike I dodged tore through the surrounding buildings, tearing them apart like pieces of paper.

Esmeralda's speed also increased as she relentlessly attacked any opening she saw. A minute or two passed by, and my hoodie was littered with cuts and holes caused by her constant attacks.

Solina stepped in, and Esmeralda came from the side. I used Ghost, but without the violet lines aiding me, my attacks were less effective. It also meant that despite my heightened senses, I was unable to launch my intent.

“Foo...”

I let out a short breath as I spun on the outside of Esmeralda’s blade. I grabbed her wrist and used the same momentum to spin into a high kick that crashed into Solina's temple, only to find that she had partially blocked the incoming strike.

I quickly threw Esmeralda over my shoulder, smashing her into the ground.

“Heuk!!”

I was about to bury my fist into her face when Solina shot forward. I somersaulted away to dodge her foot, but her momentum didn’t slow down.

‘What the?’

The speed of her strikes grew faster and faster as I struggled to keep up. Her alluring smile had completely vanished, and I noticed blood trickling down from the side of her head.

Her leg skimmed past my face, only to change direction and go low towards my chest. I spun down and aimed at her unbalanced leg, but she hopped.

Solina spun in the air and stuck her foot out as it smashed into my guard, destroying the earth beneath my feet. I winced in pain at the destructive power both her fists and feet contained.

I jumped out of the crater, but she grabbed my foot and threw me back down. I clicked my tongue, back flipping away to avoid her axe kick, only for her fist to greet me on my landing. It blasted through my guard, throwing my arms back in the process.

I stepped in just as she raised her leg and placed my hand on her chest. Her foot instantly hit the ground, dispelling the shockwave I had tried to shoot through her. She slapped my hand away and tried to grab my neck, but I grabbed her wrist and dashed her outside of the crater.

‘...I can’t attack as effectively as I would like without the optimal lines from Ghost.’

I climbed out of the crater and was greeted by Esmeralda, who rejoined the battle. Her blade cut apart the ground as Solina attacked from the other side.

“!!”

I stomped my foot, and two large chunks of earth rose horizontally up from the ground. I spun in the air and kicked the two slabs of earth towards them. Esmeralda splayed her hand, causing the earth to break apart while Solina broke through it effortlessly.

I retreated backwards, but Esmeralda's blade arc reached my chest. I stepped inwards and kicked her back as she coughed up blood while manipulating the earth to launch me away.

Solina pulled her back, and Esmeralda used the same momentum to spin. Her foot reached Solina, who had jumped. It connected against her heels, launching her forward at a rapid speed.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

We traded blows in the air for a while before my fist smashed into Solina's face, causing blood to shoot out of her nose. Her onslaught stopped temporarily, and her eyebrows quivered. She looked down at the blood on her hands and glared at me.

“...You're dead.”