Kenji clenched his fist and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to will himself to watch the bloodshed. Clanging blades filled his ears accompanied by the occasional splashing of blood. Lying there with a relentless burning pain searing away his insides, all he could do was ponder his situation.

His past failures combined with ridicule had driven him to his quest for power—a goal that twisted into an obsession, clouding his judgment.

Had it not been for his relentless pursuit of power and respect, he wouldn't be in this predicament and his comrades wouldn't have to suffer on his behalf. Once again, he'd burdened those around him.

A pang in Kenji's chest formed as he realized he was going to be responsible for more deaths. He began into a state of self-loathing and guilt. Deeming himself as an inconvenience, he came to a reluctant conclusion.

'Maybe I should just disappear...then I won't have to worry about burdening anyone...'

He let his body relax, moments away from accepting his demise until he was jerked back to reality, hearing the air crackle followed by Yakeru erupting into a yelp. He still couldn't muster the courage to open his eyes, his imagination forced to paint an image based on the screams he heard and the stench of blood in the air.

"Look out!" He heard Yakeru's voice bark, warning his ally.

"He's charging again!" Fuyumi's voice roared out followed by a loud crash.

"Aghh!"

Although the shrieks of his comrades fighting desperately didn't comfort him, it also reminded him of an undeniable fact.

'...but...they're trying to save me...'

They wouldn't have gone out of their way to rescue him had they shared the same opinion of him. If he had given up now, their efforts would've been for nothing.

He doubted they'd survive even with his support, but if he did nothing at all, death was a guarantee.

'They've already shed enough blood for me...!'

The screams of his teammates prompted him to act hastily as time wasn't on his side. Swallowing hard, he desperately ran through their options in his head.

He wasn't in any condition to fight, let alone stand. Even if he could, he didn't have elixirs to spare. Then there was their quick and agile opponent. He figured whatever they'd done to him after running off must've weakened him. However, through what he heard, they still stood no chance.

'Come on...think!'

No matter which way he looked at it, he found it hopeless.

'...I'm more useless now since I can barely move...'

Those last few words lingered in his mind for a moment.

'I can barely move...'

Those words seemed to hold some importance somehow. He replayed his recent memories.

His mind went back to his first battle with a gravity dyson. He remembered it clearly when it pinned him to the ground by increasing the gravity around him.

His mind then snapped back to his short training session with Yakeru. There was a drill he'd done involving weighing down the training dummy.

'That's it!'

An idea popped inside his head, sparking determination within him and finally giving him the strength to pry his eyes open. As he did, the scene was exactly as he'd expected. Both of his teammates were forced onto their back foot with little breathing room.

Yakeru had just been kneed in the nose, blood spewing from his nostrils as he let out an agonizing shriek. Fuyumi's dry panting indicated her stamina had drained a considerable amount, allowing the Ripper to drive his foot into her stomach. Her last meal mixed with stomach acid came rocketing from her mouth as she tumbled back.

The battle was just as one-sided as he imagined. Although, this didn't seem to make him shrink into himself like he expected. Rather, it added fuel to his now burning determination.

'I don't need to immobilize him completely. I just have to slow him down.'

With every ounce of strength he could muster, he reached over and grabbed his staff, his body screaming for him to stop. Willing the last of his radiance into it, he could feel the burning sensation intensify as blood trickled from his mouth. Regardless, he relentlessly pumped every drop of radiance into his conduit.

The Ripper lunged at the writhing Fuyumi, winding up his scythe for the finishing blow. Yakeru was too far to intercept this time. He watched with horrified eyes while clutching his bloodied nose, the scene seemingly moving in slow motion.

"Fuyumi!"

Before the blade could connect, the Ripper started radiating a faint amber hue. His grip on the scythe became unsteady and his feet seemed to have dug deep in the dirt floor with each step.

As he swung, his scythe lagged behind and drove itself into the ground just before it struck the girl. She saw her terrified reflection in the blade before scurrying away to gather herself.

"What?" The Ripper questioned. Although he was wounded, he was certain he should've hit his target.

He stood in place for a moment trying to process what just happened, giving Fuyumi time to stand to her feet. The pain in Yakeru's nose subsided slightly for him to stagger upright as well.

The Ripper went to remove his scythe, though strangely, it felt heavier than before. With more effort than usual, he pried it from the ground before looking down at his arms, noticing the faint glow. He was hunched over as if there were weight on his shoulders. Each small movement he made took more effort than normal.

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'What's going on?'

By now, Fuyumi had gathered her bearings. Seizing the opportunity, she rushed him.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨!

Although he was able to block her attack, she took note of his slower movements. It was like exhaustion had abruptly hampered his ability to maneuver.

'No way,' she thought. 'That glow has more to do with it.'

The Ripper's radiance was dark red in color up until now so the amber coloration couldn't have been coming from him. She glanced over and, to her surprise, found Kenji clutching onto his glowing staff.

'Is he doing this?'

He was in terrible shape so she hadn't expected assistance from him.

She turned her attention back to her assailant as strands of crimson light flickered around his scythe.

Yakeru observed the Ripper. Throughout their battle, every time his scythe was infused, the amulet would glow in turn. It was obvious at this point where that abnormal power was coming from.

A disk of lightning roared above Fuyumi as she slid underneath it, slashing the man across the stomach before he could react.

His eyes widened with fear. Up until this point, he hadn't been directly injured by these two before.

He leaped back, hoping to gain some distance but only managed to put a few feet in between himself and the rangers. Every movement became arduous as his muscles worked overtime against the mysterious force.

'What's happening?!'

The once-agile combatant strained to use his weapon effectively, each swing demanding a tremendous amount of exertion.

Yakeru rushed forward, aiming for his legs. The kid wasn't nearly as fast as him so normally his attacks would prove futile. Though this time, he managed to slice both. Even if he just nicked them, it was still progress.

While the physical hindrance began eroding the Ripper's focus, it restored the young rangers' confidence.

𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘨!

With great effort, the man blocked the swordman's second swing, however he wasn't expecting the boy to reach for his chest with his bare hand—where his amulet was.

"No!" the Ripper reflexively shouted, grabbing his wrist as his body was now too heavy to evade him.

"I knew it!" Yakeru exclaimed. "Fuyumi, target his amulet!"

She nodded before glancing at Kenji.

"Whatever you're doing, keep going!"

"Hurry, I can't keep this up for long!"

The Ripper swept his gaze toward Kenji, regretful of his decision to keep the conjurer conscious. He shoved Yakeru's arm away before infusing his scythe again.

With bones fractured, it became increasingly difficult to support the extra weight. Regardless, he refused to let some random kids best him.

He couldn't raise his scythe over his head so instead he allowed the blade to drop. Slicing into the ground, the dispersed energy wasn't enough to destroy his surroundings but it did create a smokescreen which he used for concealment.

He sneaked his way through the cloud that enveloped the battlefield in search of Kenji.

'I suppose I should've taken him out first.' he thought.

He thought he could get away with leaving the wounded E-rank to rot but he's proven to be quite the nuisance after all.

Trudging through the thick smoke, he spotted a shadow in front of him. It was hunched down beside a tree almost as if they were injured.

'Got you.' his eyes practically curved up, pleased that his search took less time than he'd thought. But before he could act, a gleaming object flashed from the shadow.

𝘚𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘵!

He yelped as a dagger pierced through the smoke and plunged deep into his shoulder. Fuyumi burst through the smoke, swinging for his amulet.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬!

Her blade collided with the shaft of his scythe before shoving her away. The battle had dragged on for so long that he felt his radiance pool plummeting. However, he couldn't outmaneuver his opponents.

In his desperation, he began charging up his scythe for one final attack. Even after straining his body to its limits, the lightning flickering around him was less prominent, giving Fuyumi ample time to react.

"Not this time!"

Parrying his blade, she slammed her foot into the open wound on his stomach. Blood rocketed from his mouth, the radiance infused into his weapon dissipating immediately.

The dagger's hilt was still jutting out of his dangling arm. His amber-colored aura began to dim and flicker, meaning only one thing.

'We don't have much time!'

Soon after, Yakeru lunged through the smoke, launching his own assault. As he made his rapid approach, they both infused their weapons in unison. The Ripper tried doing the same to maximize his defense but his reserves had already dropped too low. Now fearful, he hid cowardly behind his scythe.

𝘊𝘓𝘈𝘕𝘎!

Both Yakeru and Fuyumi synchronized their attacks and slammed their blades down. Sparks exploded from the collision as the scythe's blade snapped from the shaft, the now horrified Ripper stumbling backwards.

Their combined efforts threw the two rangers off balance as they miscalculated the force they'd put behind their strikes. Nonetheless, Yakeru couldn't help but crack a confident smile.

Through sheer willpower, Kenji relentlessly poured everything he had into his staff, though he could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. His vision blurred and blood erupted through the gaps in his clenched teeth. It felt as if his organs were ripping themselves apart, the burning sensation now scorching his insides.

His grip loosened around his staff as he was far past his limit. He could only pray that he contributed just enough to turn the tides.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.

Finally, he'd exhausted all his strength, his staff dropping to the ground and his body going limp.

The aura around the battered Ripper finally disappeared. Wiggling his fingers, he could feel the weight lifting off his body, enabling him to move freely again. The uncertainty in his eyes had vanished, now searing with unbridled anger.

Without delay, he snatched his dismembered blade from the air with his bare hand and whipped it at Fuyumi. He intended to slash her throat but in his blind rage, he'd misjudged the distance. Instead, he collided with her dagger, producing a resounding shriek as her weapon flung from her hand.

Now that he was mobile again, he was hellbent on making these three suffer for this humiliation. However, since his body overexerted itself from being under so much pressure, he'd already exhausted himself.

Ducking under his second swipe, she grabbed the dagger still lodged in his shoulder and wrenched it out, causing a fountain of red to spew out. Using his shrieking as a distraction, she slashed across his chest where the amulet was, the chain holding it around his neck snapping.

The moment the connection was severed, a geyser of blood-red energy exploded from his body. His borrowed strength funneled back into the amulet, stripping the serial killer of his power along with the fear he once commanded.

"NOO!" With a shouting plea, he desperately tried snatching the relic but it was just out of reach.

Yakeru swung his katana, intercepting the now helpless man as he reflexively brought his severed blade up.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨!

He pathetically shrunk into himself, terrified now that he'd lost his power. His blade didn't allow for a stable grip, now slick with his blood.

Imbuing his sword, Yakeru summoned all his strength. Amber swirled vibrantly around his sword as it screeched against the scythe's blade, creating flashes of blinding light before launching a projectile.

The point-blank attack shattered the scythe's blade and catapulted the Ripper through the air before slamming into a tree. The trunk exploded with splintered wood, blasting the air out of his lungs.

The two rangers panted heavily, oblivious that they'd been breathing so hard until then. Yakeru scrambled to the ground and clutched the amulet close to his chest, curling his body protectively.

"I...I got it!"

Fuyumi collapsed against a tree, trying to catch her breath.

"Relax...I don't think he's getting up anytime soon."

Puzzled, he looked in man's direction and, sure enough, he was still lying there, motionless. After suffering so much physical trauma in a short period, it made sense he lost consciousness.

"Oh, I see."

He slipped the amulet into his satchel just as he remembered,

"Kenji!"

He hobbled his way over, his body on the verge of giving out, and checked his pulse.

𝘉𝘢-𝘥𝘶𝘮...𝘣𝘢-𝘥𝘶𝘮...𝘣𝘢-𝘥𝘶𝘮...

"Thank goodness..."

After taking a short break, their strength was somewhat replenished.

Fuyumi stumbled over to the Ripper to inspect his condition. At first glance, one would assume that he was dead but his faint breathing indicated he was just unconscious. She turned to Yakeru who was still beside the conjurer.

"Let's take Kenji and get moving. He still needs medical attention."

"Right. What about him?" Yakeru pointed to the man with his chin.

"He comes too. Let's restrain him just in case."