Jake stood there, completely motionless.
There was no anger on his face. No fear. No emotion at all.
He looked less like a human… and more like a machine.
For a moment, the battlefield was silent.
Then suddenly, Jake lifted his hand.
Metal shifted beneath his skin.
A small gun emerged from his palm.
In the next instant, the weapon roared.
Thousands of tiny bullets burst through the air, tearing through the battlefield with terrifying speed. The sound was deafening, like a storm of steel. Kenji stepped forward, his expression calm despite the chaos, and swung his sword in smooth, precise motions. Each slash deflected dozens of bullets, sparks scattering across the ground as metal clashed with metal. Still, a few bullets slipped through, cutting into his skin.
Before anyone could react, Jake vanished from his original position.
He reappeared in front of Kenji.
His movements were not wild or emotional—every step was calculated, efficient, perfect.
Without hesitation, Jake opened his mouth.
A missile launched out.
The explosion swallowed Kenji whole.
The shockwave ripped through the street, shattering windows and tearing apart concrete. When the smoke cleared, Kenji had been launched far away, crashing through several buildings before finally stopping.
Jake slowly turned his head.
His next target was Cosmic.
Compared to the others, Cosmic was still in better condition.
But that would soon change.
Jake's eyes suddenly glowed.
Two beams of light shot out.
Lasers.
They sliced through the air with deadly precision, cutting through buildings like paper. Cosmic reacted instantly, teleporting away just before the beams could reach him. In the next moment, he appeared directly in front of Jake, his cosmic sword flashing.
He stabbed.
The blade pierced straight through Jake's chest.
Cosmic pulled the sword out and stepped back, his expression calm, as if the battle had already ended.
For a second, everything was quiet.
Then Jake's wounds began to close.
Metal, flesh, and something darker twisted together, rebuilding his body in seconds.
Cosmic's eyes widened slightly.
Not only did Jake possess robotic abilities…
He still had his devil powers.
Jake opened his mouth again.
Three missiles launched simultaneously.
They curved through the air, all locked onto Cosmic.
Cosmic moved.
His sword flashed again and again, slicing through the missiles midair. Explosions filled the sky, flames spreading across the battlefield. Even though he managed to block them, the shockwaves still tore through his body, leaving minor injuries behind.
But the missiles had never been the real attack.
In the next instant, Jake appeared behind him.
Before Cosmic could even turn around, thousands of bullets erupted from Jake's hands.
They tore into Cosmic's back.
Blood scattered across the ground.
Yet even that wasn't enough to kill him.
Jake's gaze slowly shifted.
He looked past Cosmic.
Toward Anthony.
Anthony was barely standing.
His body was covered in wounds, his breathing uneven, his strength nearly gone.
Jake's systems analyzed the battlefield.
The weakest link had been identified.
A missile launched.
This one was faster than the others.
It raced toward Anthony with terrifying speed.
Before it could reach him, Cosmic teleported.
He appeared in front of Anthony and took the explosion head-on.
The blast swallowed him.
When the smoke faded, Cosmic collapsed onto the ground.
Anthony stared in shock.
He knew that attack would have killed him.
But for Cosmic, it was only enough to knock him out.
There was no time to think.
Another missile launched.
This one was even faster.
It flew straight toward Anthony.
But before it could hit him, someone else stepped forward.
Someone who was supposed to be unconscious.
Adrian.
He had awakened.
The missile struck him directly.
The explosion erupted.
Dust and flames covered his body.
For a moment, everyone thought he was dead.
Then the smoke cleared.
Adrian stood there.
Not a single scratch on his body.
Anthony stared at him in disbelief.
In that moment, he didn't see a normal boy anymore.
He saw something else.
A Light of Justice.
Adrian's mind, however, was in complete chaos.
The moment he woke up, everything felt unreal.
He saw Kenji, injured and fighting.
He saw Cosmic, lying on the ground.
He saw Anthony, covered in blood.
And then—
Jake.
But not the Jake he knew.
A robotic version of him.
A weapon.
And beside him, a man Adrian didn't recognize.
A random black-haired man carrying him earlier.
His head spun.
His heart raced.
"JAKE?!"
Adrian's voice cracked.
"What are you doing here?! I thought you went to another country! What happened to you?!"
His words trembled, almost breaking into tears.
Jake didn't answer.
Not even a single expression changed on his face.
Instead, metal shifted beneath his other hand.
A machine gun emerged.
Without hesitation, it fired.
Hundreds of bullets shot forward in mere seconds, ripping through the air like a deadly storm. Adrian's eyes widened as he moved instinctively, dodging the bullets one after another. Even with his speed, it wasn't easy. Some bullets grazed past him by only a few centimeters.
He clenched his fists.
Then disappeared.
In the next moment, he appeared in front of Jake.
His fist rose.
He struck.
The uppercut sent Jake flying into the sky, his body spinning midair. Adrian teleported again, appearing above him, and punched him downward with all his strength. Jake crashed into the ground, the impact creating a massive crater.
For a brief moment, Adrian thought he had won.
Then Jake stood up.
His body regenerated again.
Adrian froze.
His eyes widened.
His breath stopped.
"W-What…?"
His voice trembled.
He had no idea.
No idea that Jake could do this.
And for the first time since waking up…
Adrian felt fear.