REALITY REND RANGE: 500 meters COST: 50 Mana COOLDOWN: 1 second

You shoot a matter-erasing wave from your palm, dealing damage to all targets equal to 75 + 100% of the target's HP.

That was 6E12's ability. Absolute, unconditional destruction.

He flew toward the city, clad in shadow-like flames, high in the air like a dark cloud. I pursued him on foot. Each step sank me ankle-deep in snow, and I stumbled and panted as the distance between us grew.

"Wait!" I yelled, my voice barely audible over the howling wind. "What are you doing?!"

Exhausted and struggling to catch my breath, I fell to my knees. I jotted down a curt message in my team notebook: "6E12 killed Fink, now heading towards town. Be careful. - Sophia"

After a few moments of rest, I forced myself to rise and continue the pursuit.

I didn't know what he had planned. But I was scared. I was scared of what he might do. And as the one who rescued him, if there was anyone he'd listen to, it'd probably be me. That was why I needed to be there, to stop him. Or die trying.

6E12 slowed down as he reached the farmlands at the edge of town. A small band of townspeople, carrying lanterns and torches, congregated on the road outside their houses. They looked up at the sky as he passed. But he paid them no heed.

Some of them joined me in tailing him. And as we ran, the crowd snowballed, picking up more and more people along the way, as 6E12 led us toward the center of Silvercreek. Soon, even a city guard joined us.

"That's 6E12," I panted to tell him.

"You can't be serious," the city guard said, his eyes wide with shock. "The, the rumors early today about him…I…what's going on?"

"I don't know," I said, my heart pounding. "But we need to be ready for anything."

The guard nodded and ran off.

By the time 6E12 reached Ring Two of Silvercreek, alarms began to ring in the night, all over town. Squads of guards ran through the streets, many joining the ranks of the crowd following directly underneath 6E12. A captain with a booming voice shouted at him to halt and identify himself. But 6E12 did not heed the command.

I needed to find Khan. He ought to be at the Combat Institute, at the center of town. He told me he'd be in the treasury of the Logistics Division, where he'd fetch magical items for me if I ever reached into his envelope.

I sprinted toward the Institute campus. 6E12 seemed to be heading there too.

Sweat dripped down my face, blurring my vision, but I pushed on, fueled by desperation. The muscles in my legs burned with exertion, but I refused to slow down.

I made it to the Combat Institute before 6E12.

The tall, stately buildings loomed over the grand lawns, all blanketed white by the snow. Even at this hour, the Institute was half-alive with activity. Various windows of the Main Hall were still lit, and I could see people inside. I could hear them laugh and shout. A few students making their way through campus turned to me as I ran up. Farther away, a pair of boys were putting twig-arms on a snowman; they turned to look at me too.

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A shadow fell from the sky.

In an instant, the Main Hall vanished. All of it disappeared, and everything and everyone that was inside. All that was left was a massive, gaping crater, dark and empty. Where the building once was, I could only see the backdrop of the lightless, nondescript sky.

The silence that followed was deafening. For a split second.

Then, around me, those who were still alive began to scream. They ran. I heard them cry.

No. This was a dream.

This had to be a dream.

I saw 6E12 descend from the sky. I saw him land in the middle of the crater. As though possessed, I approached him, until I reached the edge of the crater. I didn't know what I was thinking. Or rather, I couldn't think anymore. My head had gone blank, as though I was about to faint.

I lowered myself and slid down into the crater. I jogged up to 6E12 and grabbed him by the wrist.

"S...stop!" I managed to say, my words barely audible over the ringing in my ears. 6E12 looked at me, his eyes shining like icy rubies.

"You...you were supposed to save us," I pleaded, my voice breaking. "You were supposed to get us home."

He tugged his arm free from my grasp, without a hint of emotion. With that, he scanned the campus around us, and rose once again into the air.

The town's guards arrived behind me, screaming and scrambling. They raced about, waving and yelling for everyone to evacuate the campus.

I thought 6E12 was on our side.

This wasn't how things were meant to be.

Someone, anyone. Please help us.

In the distance, another building vanished in its entirety. All that remained was emptiness.

More wailing. So distant. So despaired.

Glowing, multicolored streaks shot up from the ground. Those were countless attacks, whether spells or projectiles. They ascended, accompanied by the war-cries of countless men and women. I thought I heard familiar voices among them. The attacks converged upon 6E12, who now hovered far away, his silhouette barely visible in the night sky. The attacks engulfed him within explosion after explosion, burst of light after burst of light.

But then a shadow shot down, from 6E12 to the ground.

The attacks ceased. As did the war-cries that came from that direction. As though nothing had happened, 6E12 continued on his path.

"Make it stop," I whispered. Deep down, I knew I was responsible for setting him loose.

"Make it stop!" I screamed my lungs out. I couldn't take it anymore.

Breaking out of my trance, I raced after him once more. I didn't care if he'd kill me. I really couldn't be bothered to care.

He had slowed down, as though to survey the vicinity. At this point, multiple buildings of the Combat Institute had been reduced to craters. I couldn't see anyone else around, besides him. Everyone else was gone.

6E12 eventually landed near a stairway that led into the ground. That was the entrance to our underground auditorium. By now, there shouldn't be anyone left inside…right?

He reached out his palm at the auditorium.

"NO!" I screamed. I fired a Frost Missile into him, but of course it did nothing.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"You can't do this!" I begged him. "They are innocents! They had nothing to do with you!"

He merely shrugged and shifted his attention back to the auditorium. Shadowy energy gathered in his palm.

I reached a shaking hand into Khan's envelope.

Hah. As if he could be of any help.

I felt something at the bottom of the envelope. I took it out.

It was a tiny, withered rose bud.

As though coming to life at my touch, it bloomed. And within the center of the flower, there was a single, miniscule eyeball. In shock, I dropped it to the ground. When it tumbled to a standstill, the eye stared at me, then looked around.

A golden shaft of light shot up from the rose, piercing into the sky and splitting the clouds. When the light faded, the rose was gone. In its place was a stranger who had materialized.

A lady, not much older than myself.

She had chin-length, chestnut-brown hair that was immaculately combed. She wore a black blazer and matching dress pants, and in her grip was a slender, curved blade. She turned her head to look at me. The pupils of her hazel-gray eyes bore a vague, quiet weight.

Then she turned to 6E12, and he likewise turned to her. He pointed the shadowy energy in his palm at her throat.

"Witch," he spat. "So this is where you draw the line."

The lady replied, in a voice I knew all too well:

「Yes. And I hope you don't cross it.」