"Shit!" Haruka shouted, barely blocking Fyn's punch. The force still sent him flying across the battlefield, crashing through a wall like a ragdoll.
(Noysd POV)
"Ugh... that hurt like hell," Noysd grunted, pushing himself up and brushing dust off his coat.
"Hoo~ Old man, you're tougher than you look," said the man in the inu mask, grinning smugly.
"Well, kid… you really shouldn't disrespect your elders," Noysd said, finishing his coat-flap-dusting routine. He dashed forward and threw a punch at the man's gut—fast and precise.
But the man sidestepped easily and hopped back, laughing.
"Whew~ Close call! That could've broken something, y'know, old man."
Noysd narrowed his eyes. "Hmph… Appraisal."
A blue system window appeared in front of his eyes:
[NAME: HYNFORT GRONDER
ERROR: CLASSIFIED
Further information is being guarded by a powerful entity.]
"Sh—" Noysd tried to warn himself, but too late—
WHAM! Hynfort landed a clean punch right into his solar plexus, sending Noysd crashing into a concrete wall.
"Gah—!" He coughed blood, stars dancing in his vision.
"Don't black out on me, old man," Hynfort taunted, walking toward the impact zone and pummeling Noysd over and over again.
"Barrier!" Noysd shouted. A protective bubble shimmered into existence, throwing Hynfort back—
—or it should have.
Hynfort simply slid on impact, grinning as he slammed a fist into the barrier again, shattering it.
"Wha—" Noysd barely had time to react.
Hynfort stepped back, gathering flame in his hands. "Great Fireball!" he roared, launching a massive, burning sphere straight at Noysd.
"Water Wall!" Noysd slammed his hand to the ground. Water burst up to form a defensive shield—
—but the fireball vaporized it instantly and slammed Noysd into another wall, harder this time.
"Damn it..." Noysd wheezed.
"Heh... You're powerful, old man. Shame you're going to die anyway," Hynfort sneered, energy swirling around him.
Noysd slowly stood, blood running down his chin. "...Fumetsu no Kinzoku Yakyū Batto... Summon."
He clapped his palms together. A brilliant blue light shone between them—and from it, a metal bat materialized.
"Tch. Skill activated: Bold Cutter!" Hynfort shouted, swinging his hand in a wide arc. Crescent-shaped wind blades flew toward Noysd.
"Skill activated: Parry."
Noysd held the bat steady, and with precision, deflected each wind slash.
Hynfort stared. "Heh... So that's your weapon? A metal bat? What's it gonna do—break my bones?" He laughed maniacally. "Hahaha!"
Noysd's expression hardened. "Skill activated: Shatter."
He shifted into a batter's stance, then charged.
Hynfort dodged just in time, flipping back several meters—
—but then paused.
Noysd had vanished.
No—he'd shattered.
Into fragments of light.
---
(POV: Kohaku – somewhere in the evacuation corridor)
Civilians ran in chaos through a narrow tunnel.
A small girl stumbled and fell.
"Rorie, no!" her mother screamed, trying to reach her, but the panicked crowd blocked her path.
"Mama!" the little girl cried out.
Just as she was about to be trampled, a young woman swooped in, picked her up, and handed her back to her mother.
"Here, ma'am," Kohaku said calmly.
"T-thank you... Miss Weilstein," the mother gasped, rushing toward the exit with her daughter.
"Stay safe," Kohaku waved, then looked around, brows furrowed. "Whew… Now, where's Haruka?"
---
(Haruka POV)
"Damn... That was a hell of a hit," Haruka muttered, coughing up a bit of blood.
Fyn stood calmly nearby, patting the shoulder of a third figure.
"Hmm... Hmm..." Fyn hummed as he summoned another person.
"Heeeee."
Haruka stared. "What the hell? Your name is Donfunce? That's... really confusing, dude."
He stepped back. "Whatever... Skill: Summon—Theroft!"
...Nothing happened.
A voice called out behind him. "You do know I only show up for actual threats, right?"
Haruka turned. "Theroft! Just fight his summons!" he barked, frantically checking his system.
Theroft appeared out of thin air, arms crossed, calm and ready. "Hmm... These two are pretty strong. Where'd you find them?"
"Doesn't matter. They're yours now."
Theroft cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Let's see what they're made of...
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Fun fact:there are some insect who it their mate after they done the deed.....
To be continued