Edie staggered forward, a crimson trail of blood oozing from his neck. His legs felt as if they were on the verge of collapsing, yet a stubborn glint of defiance still burned fiercely in his eyes. Directly ahead lay the academy's greenhouse complex – their final, precarious refuge.
Inside, Jinna was limping. Her right arm was streaked with blood, the faint glow of lingering magic not yet having dissipated.
Jinna:
"Thank goodness… You're alright. I've been looking for you everywhere… You're badly hurt, quickly, come inside so I can bandage you up!"
Edie:
"No need. It will heal on its own… but there's something bigger… The Sill. They've found this place."
A chilling, cynical laugh echoed from behind them:
Ghosi:
"Not 'found,' but 'arrived' already."
He stepped out as if materializing from the shadows, his eyes blazing with the predatory hunger of a bloodthirsty beast. A single, swift strike of his blade, razor-sharp, whistled past Edie's neck.
Swoosh!
Blood splattered, but it wasn't Edie's. Jinna had managed to teleport him aside just in time.
Ghosi:
"Haha… Who needs a girl to save them? How utterly humiliating."
Edie:
"Used to it. As long as I'm alive, that's enough to be happy."
Did you think only two of us knew how to fight?
Wrong.
Swish!
Three figures suddenly appeared, their sword, spear, and blade flashing as they lunged at Ghosi like three bolts of lightning, piercing through him simultaneously. Blood spurted out like a gushing fountain.
Lera:
"Don't be overconfident. There aren't just two people who know how to fight here."
Ghosi roared with laughter, his body dissolving into smoke. From a distance, an enormous surge of sword energy swept towards them – eroding everything it touched.
Ghosi:
"The pain isn't enough yet… Give me a real rush, HAHAHA!"
He lunged forward, targeting the person holding the blade, moving at a speed that defied perception. But no – that was Ito's corpse. A trap. The real Ghosi appeared from behind, raising his sword.
Edie:
"Not a second time."
A thunderous punch landed on his chest, a distinct crack echoing clearly. Ghosi reeled back but didn't fly off; he merely staggered, then… laughed.
Ghosi:
"That hurt… But weaker than I expected."
WHAM!
Edie delivered another punch to his face. But Ghosi… he truly seemed exhilarated. His sword whirled around him in a deadly vortex. If not for Jinna's teleportation, all three might have been sliced in half.
But…
The spear-wielder wasn't fast enough. Half of his body was torn apart during the teleportation. Blood sprayed like rain, heavy and silent.
Ghosi:
"The magic user… dangerous. Kill her first."
He prepared to lunge, but…
Edie:
"No… I won't let you touch her."
He opened his palm, drawing in the lingering soul energies scattered throughout the academy. Emotions, resentment, death energy – all poured into Edie's body like a dark, viscous current. His eyes shifted to an ashen red. His breath came in ragged gasps. His entire body trembled as if on the verge of exploding.
Edie:
"I didn't want to use this… but it's different now."
Edie unleashed a punch at Ghosi, sending him reeling. The punch not only shattered his ribs, but the very air around them fractured as if compressed then exploded. The ground beneath their feet cracked, fragments of rock scattering in all directions. Each time Edie threw a punch, the surrounding air seemed to reverberate with that brutal force, which only… excited Ghosi.
Ghosi:
"That's it… something that thrills me to my very bones…!" He shrieked, his entire body shaking. The sword in his hand began to melt, then merged with his arm as if it were part of his flesh and blood. Bones cracked, muscles swelled, and terrifying crunching sounds accompanied the growth of black wings on his back.
Ghosi:
"Now this is… FUN…!"
WHAM!
Before he could finish shouting, Edie lunged like a living bullet, delivering a horizontal kick to his chest that sent him stumbling back, his newly formed wings violently trembling from the impact. Instantly, Jinna teleported the two remaining surviving teammates high into the air, aiming for an aerial strike. Blades from two directions swung down simultaneously. But Ghosi needed only one backhanded slash.
"Slash—!!"
Two bodies were cleanly severed, falling like heavy sacks of flesh. Blood spurted like geysers.
Edie gritted his teeth, not stopping. While Ghosi's blade was still withdrawn, he delivered a straight punch to his face, a strike filled with strange resentment and spiritual power that sent Ghosi flying, slamming hard into the glass wall behind them. The glass exploded into dust. Without a word, Edie continued his assault. The two closed in, no fancy moves, no more magic. Only the sound of fists and cracking bones.
WHAM!
SLASH!
WHAM!
Edie fought as if each punch were his last breath. And Ghosi, screaming wildly, slashed haphazardly around him. Each time Ghosi landed a hit, Jinna immediately teleported healing magic to Edie – weak and slow, but enough to keep him on his feet.
Ghosi:
"Damn it… this guy… isn't like before…" His body trembled. For the first time, he felt… fear. He roared, teleporting to where the bodies of his two dead teammates lay. His hand slashed down, blood spurting – the sacrifice ritual had begun.
The teleportation circle glowed brightly, accompanied by an energy explosion that churned the earth. Two shadowy figures appeared within that light – two Sill commanders had arrived. Grit, dark-skinned and sinewy like a wild beast, his eyes burning red like fire. Lucy, with stark white hair, eyes still as ice, carrying an aura of death.
Grit:
"You teleported both of us here just to play with these brats? Please, at least one… But no, it's two. Do you know how much time you're wasting?"
Lucy:
"It's not as simple as you think. These kids aren't weak… And… it seems another strong one is also coming."
Thump… Thump…
Footsteps echoed from afar – slow, steady, like a war drum. A figure gradually emerged through the hazy dust – holding two long combat tonfas. He wore a neat academy uniform, but his eyes were sharp as knives.
Brand – a senior student, the armed MMA war god of Bellasia Academy. 29 undefeated matches in the death arena. No one had ever made him lose. Brand had slightly spiky orange-red hair, amber eyes that glowed like amber, always hidden behind dark sunglasses, creating an aura of both mystery and nonchalance.
Brand:
"Thought this place was a hideout… never expected to have to fight again. So tiring."
Ghosi:
"See! Now do you believe me! I told you these guys were strong!"
Grit:
"I see… but I also see you're more afraid of death. Always trying to show off."
The air grew so cold it felt like it could tear skin. Every breath seemed to freeze in their throats. Lucy stepped forward like a white phantom. Her platinum hair billowed, her eyes as cold as an abyss. From her footsteps, ice spread across the ground, so quickly that Jinna had to retreat continuously to avoid being frozen.
Lucy:
"Do you think sheer stubbornness is enough to win? Naive."
She swung her hand, and a storm of black snow poured down like a thousand blades. Jinna had to use teleportation constantly to evade, sweat beading on her forehead.
Jinna:
"She's controlling the entire battle. If I don't break her rhythm, Edie won't be able to get close."
On the other side – Edie vs. Ghosi.
Edie had landed over a dozen critical blows on Ghosi. His hand tendons were strained, his breath ragged, his shirt torn to shreds, dried blood clinging around his eyes.
Ghosi:
"IT HURTS! I LIKE IT! MORE! HIT ME MOREEEEE!"
Edie:
"You're too insane…"
Edie's next punch went straight into Ghosi's stomach. Blood spurted, but he laughed hoarsely like he was high on drugs, still wildly slashing with his sword-hand. Edie could only narrowly dodge, each blow almost costing him his life.
Meanwhile, Jinna teleported behind Lucy, attempting to break the snow barrier with a rare fire-element spell she had hidden.
Jinna:
"Fire Heart Piercing Ice!"
A column of intense flame erupted, burning through the black snow layer, shattering a part of the barrier and forcing Lucy to retreat for the first time.
Lucy:
"Fire, huh? Alright. I'll freeze both your fire and your soul."
She swung both hands, and ice spikes erupted from the ground, encasing Jinna in an "Immobile Snow Cage". If hit, it would freeze her nerves, turning Jinna into a living corpse.
At the same moment, Edie delivered his final punch to Ghosi's chest, punching straight through his ribs. Ghosi screamed loudly, then collapsed, his chest caved in, blood gushing out.
But when Edie turned to aid Jinna, it was too late. Lucy unleashed a razor-thin ice blade, piercing Edie's shoulder, freezing the muscles within.
Edie:
"Damn… I've gotten weaker…"
Jinna:
"Don't touch him!"
In a flash, Jinna teleported herself into Lucy's snow trap, taking the blow for Edie. But at that moment, she placed her hand on the ground, activating a hidden fire reflection spell formation she had concealed earlier.
Jinna:
"Ice… reflects fire. But it cannot reflect… the light of memories."
The spell formation exploded, reflecting light directly into Lucy's eyes, temporarily blinding her for a few seconds. Edie seized the opportunity, channeling all his remaining resentment into a powerful punch aimed directly at Lucy's barrier.
BOOM!
The ice shattered, and Lucy was blasted backward. Shards of ice embedded in her chest, blood seeping onto the snow.
Edie:
"Is it… over?"
Jinna:
"Not sure… but she's not moving anymore."
Both were so exhausted they didn't even try to check, instead turning their gaze towards Brand, where the sound of clashing metal roared like thunder.
Edie:
"Is it… over?"
Jinna:
"Not sure… but she's not moving anymore."
In the other corner, Grit was like a living nightmare. The enemy's blood splattered onto his blade, and the more he fought, the faster and stronger he became. Brand was pushed back step by step. One side of his sunglasses was cracked.
Grit:
"Haha! A fighter? I've killed entire armies with my bare hands, do you think I'm afraid of your wooden tonfas?"
Brand:
"Yeah, but you talk as much as a loudspeaker… doesn't sound much like someone who 'killed entire armies'."
Grit roared, swinging his sword like a bloody storm. Grit was shirtless, his entire body covered in blood. His Vladium sword vibrated violently, howling for more lives. Brand faced him, one arm broken, covered in slashes, but still maintaining a sharp defensive stance.
Grit:
"You killed Lucy, huh? Hmm… good. Just me is enough."
Suddenly, a cold surge cut across the battlefield, as if winter itself had come alive. From the shattered glass, Lucy struggled to her feet. Her hands trembled, blood still flowed, but her eyes had shifted to a brilliant luminous blue – a sign of "Final Chill": her ultimate skill, burning life force to transmute into absolute damage.
Lucy:
"I cannot die..."
She stepped forward, standing behind Grit. They had never coordinated before, but their killing intent automatically merged into one.
Grit:
"Oh, still alive? Good. Then… let's finish them together."
Brand began to falter. Grit's slashes grew faster and faster, while Lucy, from a distance, fired supporting ice arrows, cutting off escape routes. The battle completely turned.
Jinna:
"Brand will die if this continues…"
Edie:
"As long as I'm alive… I'll keep fighting…"
Despite being almost completely exhausted, Edie stood. His entire body trembled. One hand clenched into a fist, his remaining Nifow energy gathering like the ashes of a storm. He lunged, using his own body to block one of Lucy's ice arrows, then appeared directly behind her.
Lucy:
"What—?"
Edie:
"I'm sorry… but this time, I really have to send you off."
THE ICE-PIERCING PUNCH – a direct punch to Lucy's chest, shattering her self-defense ice barrier. Lucy collapsed, truly, this time. Blood flowed from her eyes, from her nose, from her heart. No magic could keep her going. She dropped her sword, falling onto the snow, the ice no longer spreading.
Grit:
"You bastards!!!" He charged forward frantically, but Brand had risen, his cracked sunglasses revealing bright golden eyes.
Brand:
"Alone now, huh? Now it's my turn."
Brand and Edie lunged together, pummeling Grit like a grinding mill. Tonfas swung horizontally – resentment poured down – blood splattered everywhere. Finally, a diagonal hook from Brand and a straight punch from Edie finished Grit – his head slumped, his curses silenced.
Lucy lay motionless on the blood-stained snow. Her eyes were wide open, staring into the distance where a quiet blue light emanated from an Ancient Star stone suspended on a stone pedestal in an ancient shrine.
Lucy:
"…I… apologize… Father…"
A single tear – the only one – rolled from the corner of her icy eye. The snow stopped falling.
The Ancient Star Stone – Memories Begin
It was an ancient stone, an upgraded version of the familiar "Ston Star" stones used in energy manipulation circles. The Ancient Star not only absorbed natural energy from the air, spiritual essence, and matter, but also stored them with unusually high stability. Its danger lay in this: if not used at the right time, the stone would explode after exceeding its storage limit, taking all the energy in the area with it. Most stones that had reached that limit had self-destructed. Only a few pieces existed in history that could store almost infinitely, growing stronger over time – these were called "Ancient Stars" – so rare that many believed them to be mere legends.
Yet… one of them was now shining brightly right before As Now and Hakan's eyes.
Memory Space Opens from the Stone
The scenery twisted. Hakan and As Now were pulled into a dark, endlessly swirling space.
As Now:
"Stop fighting. Can we have a truce for a moment?"
Hakan:
"Getting cold feet?"
The space trembled. Everything warped.
Memories appeared – it was an image of Hakan in his youth. A scrawny child, his eyes filled with a crazed fire.
As Now:
"Hmm… Is that you when you were little? You look quite bright, not as ruined as you are now."
Hakan:
"…Is the stone creating a memory space? How strange…"
As Now:
"Who knows. But if it's bringing up the past… then let's watch it all. Maybe there's something stuck in here more valuable than our fight."
Time flowed quickly – Hakan grew up through each scene: slaughter, rebellion, trampling the weak, trusting no one. One segment paused – an image of As Now (then a Sill commander), watching him from afar with great interest.
As Now:
"Back then… you were truly insane. He asked who was worthy of joining Sill, and I pointed at you without a second thought."
Hakan:
"Yeah, I remember. Back then, we even… called each other comrades."
As Now:
"Thinking back now… it's a bit regrettable."
The scene shifted. A white room, cold lights. Children with tubes attached, being injected with chemicals, tortured to "increase combat potential".
As Now:
"This is me. Welcome."
A special scene emerged – a boy blew up the laboratory, leading dozens of children to escape. He was among them.
Hakan:
"Not bad. Rebellious from a young age."
As Now:
"Wandered around, lived like a wild beast. Then met the head of Sill."
The scene appeared – As Now knelt before a mysterious man, his aura like a deity.
As Now:
"He was like… my god who came to save me."
Hakan:
"And he wanted me to breed with 'perfect hosts' to create descendants for Sill. Luckily, I refused then."
Scenes of bloody battlefields. As Now and Hakan fighting together. But then, the leader died. Hakan disappeared. As Now and Paraver fled.
As Now:
"Too many fell. I can't even remember their names anymore."
The scene shifted. As Now was being hunted. A woman concealed him. She loved him, gave birth to Lucy, then died right after giving birth.
As Now:
"I never loved her… but I owe her a lot."
The scene shifted – As Now playing with Lucy, teaching her how to use a knife, coldly pointing: 'The world isn't good.'
Hakan:
"You dragged your daughter into your personal battlefield… truly despicable."
As Now:
"You call that despicable? I call that teaching my child to survive. That's how this world is."
Hakan:
"No. The world isn't bad. Only you were ruined by those experiments… and now, you're dragging others down with you."
As Now:
"Then what about the justice you speak of? How many people have you killed for some nameless, despicable ideal? As for me… I use violence so people learn to fear. And from fear… they change."
Hakan:
"You don't want to change the world. You just want it to hurt as much as you do."
—End of Chapter—