Distant explosions shattered Terv's deathly silence, the faint roaring of shockwaves reverberating through the deserted streets.

"Come on, Yowa!" A Fiend running with a battle axe ordered.

"Yeah, you're lagging behind!" Another further ahead shouted as he unsheathed his longsword.

A brown-haired teenager wearing a cloak that covered his thin frame stood in place, trembling slightly to the sounds of thunderous roars from several blocks away.

"But...don't you hear those explosions? We're pretty far yet those sound pretty loud. Maybe it's best if we stay put?" Yowa stammered.

"You gotta be kidding me," his teammate let out a frustrated sigh. "We outnumber them and you're scared?"

"It's just that...one of them looked like a giant. If anyone's making all that ruckus, it's him, right? It would be safer if we steered clear of him." Yowa suggested, doubling down on his argument.

"You really are a coward. It baffles me to think someone like you was recruited into the clan."

"Yeah, you really think it's cool just to sit there while your team does all the heavy lifting? Grow a spine."

Yowa hesitated as his clan members left him behind to assist in the battle. It was always like this even before he joined the Fiends.

As a freelancer, he'd be kicked from one party to the next, always hearing the same words like a broken record.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮."

"𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦?"

"𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤?"

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘺𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴."

Deep down he knew he couldn't compare to those who actually had courage. Self-doubt cast a shadow over his every action and decision. Time and time again he'd push himself to do something, anything, to contribute but his nerves would best him every time. It didn't help that he was relatively weak either. So when he was offered to contract himself with the Fiends he was skeptical.

Why would they want a coward in their ranks?

Why would they want an inadequate ally?

To this day he still couldn't understand.

After the royal leader himself made him a second offer, he knew it was legit. Perhaps fate took pity on the kid and gave him a chance to learn from the best. The clan members also didn't understand why Kane had recruited such a weak link.

By then, he'd already gotten used to scrutiny, almost growing numb to it. It wasn't until he was approached by a mysterious hooded figure that ignited a spark of hope within him. The man, refusing to disclose his identity and affiliation, claimed he could grant him the strength he longed for. Yowa was more desperate now than ever so he eagerly accepted. Whether that was the best decision or a grave mistake he didn't know.

What he did know was everyone was watching him now. What he did now would either solidify his image or change it. He patted his satchel, watching his teammates' figures recede. Now that he had an ace, there was no reason to be afraid. With a deep breath, he took a step forward. Then another until he started jogging towards the mayhem.

*****

"Kateshi, two o'clock!" Kenji barked as he spotted a light flash on his ally's right.

Kateshi responded by pivoting to his side, slashing through three beams of radiance. Knocking them all off course, they detonated behind him, the force of the impact hurling several warriors away that caught in the radius.

"Above you!" Kenji warned again just as two more close-range fighters leaped towards him.

Kateshi brought his axe above his head as two swords clashed with his blade, producing a sharp ring. Infusing his axe, he launched the two opponents away into a building, knocking them out cold.

As Kateshi engaged another group of Fiends, an enemy conjurer in the distance took that opportunity to attack his exposed back, waving her wand to form a ring of amber. Acting quickly, Kenji ignited his staff, weighing down the woman's arm and causing her conjuration to veer off course.

Dust and debris obscured Kateshi's vision, allowing a dagger wielder to close the distance and slice between the gap in his armor.

"I actually got him!" The man exclaimed proudly. However, his celebration was shortlived as the flat of Kateshi's axe slammed into the back of his head with a sharp bonk.

While behind cover, Aoi sent green orbs Kateshi's way, absorbing into his skin before the wound began to mend. Beside her, Kenji flicked his staff and encompassed a swordsman's right leg in amber to make him buckle, a mace wielder's left arm to throw off his form, and a spearman's right arm to cause him to drive his blade into the ground.

As Kenji suspected, it was easier and less strenuous on his scarred channels to weigh down individual parts of the body as opposed to the body as a whole. This also allowed him to target around five people simultaneously, exceeding his previous limit of three.

Taking advantage of the opening, Kateshi followed up with a quick spin of his body to create a wave of radiance that ripped through the air, catapulting his attackers away.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

So far the plan was working flawlessly on their end. Kateshi's brute strength with the backing of Kenji's support and Aoi's sustainability enabled a synergy Kenji couldn't experience with his own team. Their respective skills flowed in near-perfect harmony with each other, canceling out their weaknesses.

The more the Fiends that fell, the more Kenji realized that, although there were many, they weren't all too strong even when Kateshi was clearly holding back to conserve radiance.

In the chaos of battle where projectiles roared and the terrain shattered, it was difficult to communicate. The never-ending wave of Fiends also meant that if Kateshi defeated one enemy, two or three more would take their place. Even so, they weren't meant to win this battle, which relieved them of the pressure that would've otherwise been too stressful.

Kenji could tell the Fiends were growing increasingly frustrated because they couldn't locate Kateshi's conjurers, who were keeping him afloat. Although Kenji and Aoi concealed themselves using cover and the shadows, each time they'd cast would reveal their location for a second or two, forcing them to reposition. If the Fiends were to catch them, this battle would've ended an hour ago.

A low-caliber beam of radiance soared past Aoi's face and slammed into the wall behind her, startling her and indicating that their twenty-fourth hiding spot had been compromised. While Kenji and Aoi scurried, Kateshi was having a blast. Although Kateshi was now accumulating more injuries faster than Aoi could heal, his grin of excitement was unwavering, widening each time a strong opponent joined the fray.

An axe wielder like himself slammed his blade into Kateshi's, creating a shockwave that launched every other attacker away caught in the radius. Sparks flashed, briefly illuminating the man's scowl and Kateshi's toothy smile.

Summoning all his strength, the man shoved Kateshi's blade, causing him to skid backward. Kateshi retaliated by launching a crescent of radiance. However, after expending so much of his reserves, his attack was significantly slower and had less mass, allowing the man to easily slice through it.

Dashing forward, the man fired his own projectile that was too fast to dodge. Instead, Kateshi brought up his axe to take the brunt, an explosion ringing out. Aoi healed the cuts and bruises left from the blast as the Fiend leaped from the smoke towards Kateshi.

Thinking on his feet, Kenji whipped his staff toward him, weighing down the enemy's weapon and causing him to undershoot his target. The axe buried itself deep inside the ground, giving Kateshi time to recover. Stepping on the shaft of the axe, Kateshi prevented the man from prying it out before grabbing the back of his head and driving his knee into it.

Blood spewed from his nostrils as he stumbled back in pain. Taking advantage of his daze, the brute lifted him over his head before slamming him into the fragile pavement, the force creating a depression in the ground as the man's eyes rolled back.

"Ha ha!" Kateshi threw his arms up triumphantly.

The field was littered with unconscious Fiends, some still writhing from their injuries.

"The thrill of combat is such an invigorating experience! You all fought valiantly!" He exclaimed, making his way over to some rubble to sit.

Sweat poured down his face and his heart pounded against his ribs. It seemed like the sounds of his panting amplified after a veil of silence enveloped the battlefield.

Kenji and Aoi were hesitant to reveal themselves but after a few minutes of nothing, they decided it was safe enough to check on their ally.

"Kateshi, are you okay?" Kenji asked, running out of a hole in the side of a building followed by Aoi.

"I am. Sir Kenji, Miss Aoi, it is thanks to your support that we have come out victorious!" He flashed a warm smile.

"Thank goodness. I'm terribly sorry I couldn't tend to you more frequently during the battle." Aoi gave an apologetic bow. "Here, let me heal you properly."

She knelt beside the injured giant and started waving green orbs into existence.

As Kenji surveyed the area, he could've sworn he saw a shadow duck behind cover in his peripheral vision. Chalking it up to him seeing things, he tended to his hulking friend.

Yowa gripped his chest behind the wall. He'd witnessed everything. That brutish fighting style, the girl's healing capabilities, the boy's defuffs. They managed to squeeze out a victory thanks to their flawless teamwork.

He'd just watched his teammates dive into battle without a second thought before paying the price. Now only he remained. His heart raced and his hands trembled. There was no telling when the other Fiends would arrive—if they even bothered. Regardless, the world was watching. He couldn't allow himself to turn back no matter how much his body screamed for him to do so.

"'Grow a spine'." He murmured to himself, thinking of what his teammate said to him.

Steeling himself, his gaze hardened as he sneaked behind them. The brute was his target as he was more fatigued than the others. He was also their main dealer so taking him out seemed like his best option. Hiding behind another wall, he pulled out a wand from his cloak and conjured a whip made of radiance. Rearing his head, he checked to confirm they were still facing away from him.

'Now's my chance!'

He rushed out, winding up his wand. By the time Kenji and Aoi noticed it was already too late. Yowa had already closed the distance.

"Ahh!" He let out a weak battlecry and swung at Kateshi's back, the whip snapping weakly against the giant.

Although the attack connected, the brute didn't so much as flinch. Instead, he turned to his attacker with an irritated gaze that made Yowa immediately regret his decision. The crushing pressure of the hulking beast's shadow consuming him nearly made him drop to his knees. But he couldn't allow that to happen.

Summoning every drop of courage, he stood his ground and swung again. This time the whip wrapped itself around the brute's outstretched arm and before he could react, he was yanked into a clothesline. The sudden jerk of his scrawny body sent piercing jolts through his joints before his head rammed into a brawny mass of muscle.

The young conjurer tumbled to a stop as the giant walked over to him in case he wished to continue fighting.

"How dishonorable," Kateshi scrutinized, watching as the kid squirmed. "To attack when your opponent has his back turned. Cowardly behavior is unsportsmanlike. You bring shame to your clan."

Kenji, and even Aoi, stared at Kateshi in disbelief. The entire time he'd known him, he'd only radiated a blinding aura of positivity and optimism. But now, he seemed deeply upset and disappointed.

"Shut up," The kid moaned. "Don't you think I know that?"

Kateshi tilted his head, confused.

"I know I'm a coward! I know I'm weak. But it's not like you would understand. You just wiped out a small army so how could you?" Yowa began to ramble. "I thought by joining the Fiends I could get stronger. I was a fool."

Hearing this, Kenji's face turned empathetic. He wasn't sure who this kid was but from his words, he could tell he was grappling with his own shortcomings...just as he had.

"I get it," Kenji responded, the kid glancing back at him. "You feel alone and want to change how the world perceives you. But relying on strength that's not your own without making an effort to work on yourself will just make things worse."

"No, you don't get it..." Yowa rejected, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a vial with a red substance inside. "...but that's okay."

Before Kateshi realized what he was doing, he downed the substance and threw away the empty vial. His body started seizing and the veins in his face bulged.

Kenji stared at the vial trying to process what he was looking at but when his focus landed on the remnants of red inside, his eyes widened in horror. Whipping his head back to Kateshi, he roared, "Kateshi! Get back!"

In a flash of amber, tendrils of radiance erupted from the boy, their tapered points tearing and slashing Kateshi's armor as he leapt back. Kateshi kneeled to catch his breath, his widened eyes stuck on the boy. The kid before him stood to his feet, his limbs jittering uncontrollably. Tendrils of sickening yellow protruded from his skin, tattering his clothing, as they coiled and flexed, awaiting a victim to step into range. The boy raised his head, his bloodshot eyes settling on the three before him. His lips twisted into a haunting grin, stretching the bulging veins that ran along his neck into his face.

"I'll be deemed stronger if I end you."