**WARNING!**

**This chapter contains graphic violence.**

**Viewer discretion is advised.**

Jimmy and Vivi stood frozen in shock as they beheld Ric's presence before them.

“W-why is he here?” Vivi's voice quivered with fear.

“Hey! Stay calm! Prepare your magic, and I will—“ Jimmy began, trying to take control, but Ric interrupted.

“Barrier shot: double!”

Ric unleashed barriers from both his hands. The barriers shot forth from the tips of his index fingers, hurtling at a breathtaking velocity. They struck each leg of both Jimmy and Vivi, puncturing their skin, tearing through flesh, and impacting their tibia bones, causing them to crack. Blood spurted from the small holes created by the barriers as Jimmy and Vivi collapsed, their screams of agony mingling with the air.

“Hmm… so this isn't enough to fracture bones. Bones are said to be four times stronger than concrete, after all,” Ric calmly analyzed his abilities.

Ric leaped down to the pillar where Jimmy and Vivi writhed in agony, clutching their injured legs. Approaching Jimmy, he fixed him with an icy gaze that seemed to pierce his very soul. Gripping Jimmy's hair, Ric lifted him up until their eyes met. Jimmy, who had always exuded arrogance, attempted to speak, “Y-you! D-do you think I will—” However, the intensity of Ric's emotionless stare rendered him utterly speechless, sending a wave of fear down his spine.

With a voice as unyielding as steel, Ric declared, “Did you truly believe that I let you off with just a kick in your stomach?”

Releasing his grip, Ric let Jimmy tumble to the ground. Confusion and fear clouded Jimmy's mind. “What's he going to do? Is he going to kill me? No, he can't do that, he'll be disqualified. Hah! Whatever he does, I can endure it!” Jimmy's confidence returned, bolstered by the belief that his past experiences had prepared him for whatever Ric had in store. But, his illusions were swiftly shattered.

Ric seized Jimmy's hands from behind, forcing him to kneel. Placing his foot on Jimmy's back, Ric simultaneously pulled Jimmy's hands backward and pushed his back forward. A storm of thoughts swirled in Jimmy's mind as the excruciating process unfolded. “What is this pain? I've felt cuts and stabs before, but this is like my hands are being shredded from the inside…Ugh! Please, make it stop!”.

Ric persisted with his torment, steadily increasing the pressure as he continued to pull Jimmy's hands and push his back simultaneously. Jimmy's screams of torment filled the air as he struggled fruitlessly to free himself from the excruciating hold. Then, with a sudden, brutal jerk, Ric pulled Jimmy's hands, resulting in the horrifying dislocation of both his shoulders.

Tears welled up in Jimmy's eyes, and he broke into sobs, his cries of agony mingling with the pain. Ric released his grip on Jimmy, moving on to Vivi, who had witnessed the horrifying scene unfold. Vivi's voice trembled as she pleaded for mercy, her desperation evident, "P-please, spare me! I'll do anything, anything to save my life—"

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Ric's interruption was chilling, his voice cold and calculated, "Anything?"

A glimmer of hope ignited in Vivi's eyes, and she hastily responded, "Yes, anything! I'll—"

Ric's single word cut through her plea, stark and unwavering, "Run."

"W-what?" Vivi's confusion was palpable.

"I will launch barriers. If you manage to plunge from the pillar and eliminate yourself before I count to ten, you're free. But, if you can't, don't worry—I'll assist you," Ric's smile was unsettling, his grimace revealing a darker intention.

With an injured tibia bone hindering her movements, Vivi limped and ran with all her might, fueled by fear and desperation. Every step was a struggle, her heart gripped by the single thought, "Death. Stopping means something worse than death will happen!"

As Ric observed Vivi's desperate struggle, his expression shifted. A tone of seriousness laced his words, "You, who sought to eliminate my friend, are now battling to eliminate yourself. Sigh I don't have time for this; Yota might be searching for me already. Let's get this over with…Ten."

Ric began to count, his hand raised, finger poised like a gun, aimed at Vivi. A barrier formed, propelled by incredible speed, piercing her shoulder's skin and tearing through nerves and flesh, finally striking the head of her humerus bone with a sickening crack.

"Nine."

Once more, Ric launched a barrier, targeting Vivi's opposite shoulder, resulting in another crack in her humerus bone.

"Eight."

Despite the pain that seared through her body, Vivi persevered, driven solely by the desire to reach the end of the pillar and plummet to safety.

"Seven."

"Just a little further! This will end once I cross this edge!" Her hope soared, but Ric shattered it mercilessly by targeting her knee joint, causing her to crash near the pillar's edge.

"Six."

Helplessness overwhelmed Vivi as she grappled with the intense pain, her limbs nearly useless. Each breath was a struggle, and blood loss took its toll.

"Five."

Vivi's senses were getting blurred. Except, fear, that was overwhelming her body, which was now a battleground of agony. She gasped for breath, as her energy started to wane.

“Four.”

Crawling like a wounded animal, she inched her way to the edge. Hope flickered, but Ric's calm voice interrupted her thoughts, his words like an ominous whisper.

"Three. Your time is running out~ Barrier shot!"

In her desperate attempt, she pressed her chin to the pillar's edge and pushed herself over. But even that couldn't stop the barrier from piercing her back, cracking her vertebrae, as it plunged into her flesh. The pain was excruciating as she fell, her scream echoing as she collided with rocks on the way, her body ultimately vanishing from sight as she passed through the barrier.

Ric's calm voice cut through the air, "Well, there she goes. Luck favored her—she saved herself. Now," he shifted his gaze to Jimmy, his tone unchanged, "Let's see if the same happens with you."