Lyon POV:

“Keuk!”

I hit the ground with a loud thud. I struggled to maintain a steady breathing rhythm as I looked up at Storm. Dozens of wounds had piled up on his body, dying large parts of his clothes red.

“The more you struggle, the more beautiful your tragedy will be, but there are limits to everything in life. Can’t you see that you’ve reached yours?”

I didn’t engage in wordplay with him, instead, I reactivated Omniscience which had just been broken by his Arc Drive: Storm technique.

Fortunately, it seemed like he couldn’t use it consecutively—it had some sort of cooldown or condition that needed to be met first. This allowed me to close the gap in damage by using Omniscience.

I kicked off the ground as the golden brown light covered the area once more. I saw his eyebrows bend inwards slightly while he clenched his teeth.

“Arc Drive: Flash.”

I immediately closed my eyes. I sensed him clearly and dodged his flashing strike while using the same momentum to plant my fist squarely against his jaw. It cracked through his Ki Armour as his head spun away with his body.

He crashed into the debris while I dashed after him. I had lost track of how much time had passed since the battle had begun. Storm pushed my concentration to the limit, so much so that even a split second didn't avoid my detection, making it impossible for me to focus on anything else.

His Ki flared, ripping apart the debris as we met head-on and traded blows down the street. The frustration on his face gradually became more and more apparent while my offence refused to slow down. I leaned in, evading his fist and smashing my own right into his solar plexus.

“Kuack!”

Saliva flew out of his mouth as the impact launched Storm into the sky. I bent my legs and shot upwards, crushing the ground below me as I tore through the air.

“Arc Drive: Rebound.”

He flashed diagonally, kicking off the air to forcefully change his direction. The increase in his speed after each turn made it harder for me to dodge his hand that wrapped around my throat in an instant.

Storm carried the same momentum as we shot back down to the ground in a flash of light. I crashed through the already destroyed earth and saw his hand begin to tremble. What followed next was an intense wave of pain that seemed to pierce directly into my nervous system.

“Heuk!”

I struggled to break free from his grip as the intensity of the pain grew worse. My head throbbed, and my vision blurred.

'Ghost.’

The dark violet paths appeared as my intent shot forward. Storm was unable to dodge, and his head repeatedly snapped back, eventually forcing him to release his grip on my neck. I knocked him away and stumbled back to my feet.

I watched him spit out a mouthful of blood as he glared at me. We once again met head-to-head in the center of the crater. The wind shattered the bedrock even further as we traded blows equally.

I wasn’t used to constantly using Omniscience like this, and the added burden of needing such a high level of concentration to maintain this fighting style only made it worse. I could feel my Ki start to dwindle and knew that this battle had to come to an end soon.

I wasn’t going to lose.

***

Holder POV:

“Ho...lder...!”

A strange voice was calling out to me. Where am I? What was I doing again? I couldn’t remember.

“Hol...der!”

My head throbbed as the familiar voice became louder. I tried my best to recall whatever I could before I plummeted into the darkness. I pieced together parts of my memory like a puzzle and remembered that I had used some sort of technique; that was all I could recollect.

“Holder!!”

Gunnar! Gunnar was calling out my name. That’s right. I was healing the Senior Vices. No, no, no, no! Did I pass out? Did I stop healing them? How long had I been out for?

‘!’

Why... won’t my eyes open? Or... Are they already open? I figured I wouldn’t be able to resist the side effects that well, but I didn’t expect it to rob me of my sight... Perhaps it was just temporary... Yes...

Temporary...

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

I turned my head in the direction of Gunnar's voice and felt my lips part, but there was no sound. I tried again and again, but the muscles around my face felt strange—they felt extremely stiff.

“You’re still alive... You had me worried.”

My head creaked back and forth slowly as I attempted to nod. The muscles threatened to tear apart if I forced myself to move any faster, so I had no choice but to take my time.

They considered this to be a more stable form of the drug? It didn’t make any sense. However, Enigma was able to prove one thing; KEDs had the potential to boost abilities.

I was doubtful about them being able to refine it any further without Isabelle's help, but the world was a big place, so it’s possible that there exists someone with a much stronger amplifying ability than Isabelle. Or did they achieve this result long ago?

I lost myself in my thoughts only to be awakened by the voices of many people talking nearby.

“Vice Lissandra arrived faster than you expected. The other Vices have formed a protective perimeter around us, just in case. Isabelle... She’s currently using her ability to amplify yours even further.”

I wanted to make a relieved smile, but my lips wouldn’t budge. I could barely feel Isabelle’s soft hands resting on top of mine as power continued to flow out of me.

“They’re in a stable enough condition to be moved. Carry the bodies carefully, and take Holder with you back to District 4.”

“Yes, Ma’am!!”

I felt someone pick my body up, and I began to move. I couldn’t assess just how much I had healed them by, but I trusted Lissandra's judgement.

My consciousness began to fade as we sprinted back home.

***

Lyon POV:

I held my broken arm with my hand as I looked down at Storm's motionless body. He had reached his limit just as he was about to use Arc Drive: Storm. If he had enough Ki, our positions would have been reversed—that’s how close this battle was.

My blood completely soaked my clothes and dripped to the ground in large quantities. Razor-sharp cuts, deep bruises and other kinds of wounds... lacerations were scattered all over my body.

It was hard to call this a victory.

I clenched my teeth as I glared at Storm laying in a pool of his own blood. He... was only ranked 15. That was a fact that I had no choice but to accept. I turned around slowly, not wanting to look at him anymore.

‘!’

His fingers suddenly wrapped around my ankle. I reluctantly glanced back at him out of the corner of my eye. His eyes shone as the corners of his lips rose, only for his expression to abruptly change to one of a normal boy my age.

“You can’t win the way you are now. The King is ruthless, ferocious and relentless. He is a powerhouse in a league of his own.”

He bit his quivering lip as his eyebrows bunched together.

“You won’t even get past the single-digit Royal Guards.”

He looked me in the eyes while he spoke. I could see an unfathomable thickness of despair in them. Why did he do all of this? What was his aim?

“...Whose side are you even on?”

I broke free from his grip and turned back around. It was hard not to be emotional after witnessing everything he had done, but I didn’t ignore his words, nor did I take them lightly.

“I just think... That losing everything you have built up here... would be a true tragedy...”

“...”

His consciousness faded, and Storm's hand flopped to the ground. As long as Enigma didn’t catch him like this, I imagined he’d make a full recovery some months later.

'Would I need to fight him again?'

I shook my head, discarding those thoughts as I hobbled down the street.

‘I need to apologize to Holder...’

I believed in his ability, but putting so much pressure on him and acting out of emotion was unfair. He could only do what he could do.

I needed to be more understanding.

I looked down the destroyed street and saw Lissandra standing in the middle. My vision was blurry, but I could still make out her figure.

She didn’t move as I slowly dragged my legs towards her. My back was arched forward while I trudged ahead at a turtle's pace. I watched her pull her lip in as her eyebrows curved upwards. I watched the tears pool by the sides of her eyes as her body shook.

‘...She couldn’t fight with me.’

I understood everything after seeing her expression. Things would only get harder from here, and I needed to know where I stood among the others. She had chosen to watch for my sake.

I stood a few meters in front of her as she cried silently. Lissandra's purple bang gently swayed back and forth in front of her forehead while I watched the tears stream down her cheek.

It hurts...

Why does everything hurt so much?

“It’s... so hard...”

Lissandra closed the gap instantly and wrapped her arms around me. My head slumped against her shoulder as I bit my trembling lip. Watching the people you care about almost die, having to fight with your life on the line; it was just...

“I know.”

Her shaky voice entered my ear while she held me tight. I don’t know how long we stayed like this in each other’s arms, but I was grateful for it. I needed a break.

I slowly broke away from the hug. My knees buckled as I found it difficult to stay upright. Lissandra wrapped my arm over her shoulder, supporting me while I looked ahead.

“Brunaulf... The Senior Vices... Did Holder manage to do it?”

Blood ran down my forehead, entering my left eye, causing a thick red filter to block that side of my vision as I waited for her response.

“...Don’t worry about them. They... will be fine.”

“I’m glad...”

We walked forward in silence down the ruined street. I summoned up my remaining willpower and used the little Ki I had left to dash across the rooftops with Lissandra's support.

It seemed like the fighting was becoming more intense deeper inside the red mist. Explosions were accompanied by the sounds of bloodcurdling screams and violent gusts of wind. Lissandra held me tight as we distanced ourselves away from the battlefield.

“Master...”

I mumbled to myself as I felt my consciousness fading. We left the red mist and approached the boundary between the two Districts. We were almost home.

Lissandra jumped off the roof, and we landed on a wide street below. I stared ahead in a daze as she let go of my arm. She stood in front of me and used her top to wipe the blood off my face before gently resting her hand against my swollen cheek.

“...They can’t see you like this.”

I saw her eyes shake while she struggled to maintain her composure. The corners of my lips rose, and I mustered up the little strength I had left to straighten my back. I stroked her hand gently as she bit her quivering lip while nodding.

“Thank you... Lissandra. Let’s go...”

I took the lead, and a few minutes later, we arrived in District 4. The majority of the Vices and Watchers stood on standby, waiting for my safe return.

I had already let go of my broken arm and stuck both my hands in my pockets. I ignored the scorching pain that assaulted my mind as the strength in my legs began to fade rapidly.

“Welcome back, District Leader!!”

They bowed their heads, and I nodded. Everyone had made it back to District 4 in one way or another; that alone made me feel at ease.

“I’m home.”

I walked past them while they cheered. Lissandra wasted no time in instructing them to return to their posts. The street emptied out in a matter of seconds, and I fell forward instantly.

I heard Lissandra calling out my name while her strong arms wrapped around me, and then...

Nothing.