Liv had heard of the Hexa before. It was the single most feared kill squad in the entire world. She had thought it to be a myth. A scare tactic of some kind.

Well, she knew better now.

Inu and her were thrown from their chairs as the whole cottage shook from the impact. Liv rolled with it and was up to her feet in an instant. When she raised her head, she saw what kind of man it was that had blown the cottage apart and exposed the dark blue and gray sky.

The man had a formidable frame that seemed to have been developed for the sole purpose of combat. He had wheat-blonde hair that was tied up, but many loose strands fell on his forehead. But it all culminated in his slit, dark eyes and fair face accompanied by skin so perfect it made her want to throw up. Those features told the man's whole life story.

When Liv and he locked eyes, he took on a wicked smile. Liv sensed her imminent death and put her hands up, making the vertical rectangle for the Empt without hesitation. A possibility of death was better than a certainty. Then the assailant moved. Liv twitched at his speed. He was the fastest thing she'd ever seen. Or more like not seen. He was too fast.

Quickly, she changed her hand position, clasping them together. In a blink, space swallowed her up. Then Liv was behind the man. Their backs facing each other.

Narrowly avoiding a rapid death was nothing to celebrate, though. Another one was coming right her way.

Liv heard a chuckle and turned as fast as she could. Not fast enough. All she saw was a hand waiting to squeeze her head into mush. This was the Body of Hexa. If that hand touched her, she would die. Simple as that.

Fortunately, the hand stopped.

A tense moment followed. The hand was lowered, Inu having a tight hold on the man's wrist. The assailant turned to Inu with an almost disgusted expression. "Aomon," he said.

"Hakro," Inu responded, his chin tilted up slightly with some disgust of his own.

Liv took a single slow step back. The floorboard creaked. Then all hell broke loose.

Hakro ripped his wrist from Inu's grasp and followed up by thrusting his hand forward like it would go through Inu's chest. Inu stopped the blow with both his hands, the encounter causing a shockwave. Hakro's eyes widened. Then both of them zapped into movement. Another powerful blow came. Then they got into a rhythm of some kind and a string of blows followed. Liv couldn't even tell what was happening. She could just hear the deafening thumps.

Hakro moved at incredible speeds and did so continuously. However, Inu was just as fast and even seemed effortless. For a moment at least. Seconds after, his movements started to slog. Adaptability had its limits indeed. Still, Inu faired well using all kinds of blocks with his forearms and hands while showing off surprising footwork. She thought all he did was talk. But this is what he was hiding?

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The encounter bought Liv enough time to regain her focus and make the rectangle. Getting such a swift target was its own challenge though. When she finally was close to locking in on Hakro, her view was blocked. Hakro had pushed Inu back with a palm to the chest and made a violent throwing movement. Suddenly the table Liv's tea had sat on came flying at her. With no sight and no recent location in her frenzied mind, she couldn't teleport. She stumbled in a panic, falling on her back, the table grazing her forehead.

When she looked at Inu he was already lost. Blood staining the side of his face, he was receiving more hits than he was blocking or dodging. With two more moves, it was over in a split second. One attack straight to his chin which made his body go limp. Then a sickeningly powerful kick to the stomach sent him hurling out of the cottage.

Liv knew better than to attempt the Empt again. She had to—

Hakro turned and before she even saw him move, he was already there. She clasped her hands from instinct and was behind Hakro once again. Only this time, pain erupted from her side as soon as her feet touched the ground. A well-placed elbow broke her ribs like they were sticks. Hakro had predicted the move even before he had rushed toward her.

Her legs gave out, but before she could fall, Hakro turned and grabbed her by the throat before raising her. She gasped for breath and her entire face turned red as the powerful hands constricted around her neck.

"Hah, this was easier than I thought," Hakro commented. Liv grit her teeth and tried to put her hands together. Hakro grabbed her right hand and squeezed. "Oh, give up already. You really are a pain in the ass."

Liv kicked and screamed from the pain of her hand turning to mush, but Hakro's expression didn't change a bit. He watched with curiosity until the novelty wore out.

"Well, this is the end. Goodbye now," Hakro said and seemed about to break her neck.

Doing it would probably not work and it could attract that abomination if it was close enough, but Liv had no choice.

Then Liv's eyes glowed with power. "Kill yourself!" she managed to yell out, her voice a hoarse snarl.

Suddenly, Hakro's eyes went blank, then he stammered backward a few steps. In that instant, Liv dug her nails between Hakro's fingers and her neck, prying herself free from his rock-like grasp.

How could it be so hard when the man was practically unconscious?

Only after she drew blood from her neck, did her nails free her, letting her fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

Then Hakro blinked a few times and shook his head. "Truth be told, you made me a little dizzy," he said with a smirk as she looked down at Liv. "Ah, where were we?" Then he stomped down on Liv's thigh.

Liv gasped in surprise from the intense radiating pain. Her vision blurred and she almost fell unconscious but resisted for one last effort.

Clasping her hands together more intensely than ever before, she transported herself out of the cottage. Afraid to even look back, she grabbed a hold of the unconscious Inu and clasped her hands once more with her gaze on the horizon.

Space folded. And then again. And again. To infinity. She had to get away. She couldn't look back. Turning her head could mean Hakro being there, looking down at her.

But even as she felt like throwing up or stopping to recover, she kept going. With her ribs broken, hand swollen, head aching, thigh radiating, and neck bloodied, she kept going. It was all she could do.

The past year had taught her many things. She had thought one of them was how powerful she was, but as she was lost in killing worthless scum, she had forgotten it. What she really was. A mere survivor. And in all truth, running was what she did best.