Kayn stopped joking around. His gaze turned as dark as the infinite abyss of space. His steel-sculpted muscles tensed. His legs burst into flames. His deep, dark aura grew denser, making him appear to be surrounded by fog.
He raised his fist and clenched it tightly, staring intently at the bastard.
"It's about time I crushed you a little, you bald bastard."
Kayn disappeared.
A faint blur of his figure remained on the rock where he had been standing.
Then, the colossus's eyes widened. He looked to the side and saw him. It was Kayn, flying toward it, charging with a powerful spinning kick.
From Nova's eyes, it looked like a masterful move.
Kayn spun in the air like a tornado right after propelling himself off the wall of one of the buildings at the large intersection.
'You were the strongest, after all,' he thought, almost as if it hurt him to admit that Kayn is strong.
Kayn's leg connected with the colossus's face. A powerful explosion echoed, which was actually the powerful impact of the kick, bones crunching, and flesh rumbling.
The colossus was pushed from the right side of its face. Its neck, almost non-existent, twisted horribly, causing its head to now face backwards. It fell onto the large building behind it, breaking it and sinking into the shattered bricks.
The magma beneath the colossus's feet rose, splattering everywhere and burning the structures. There were screams from the Empaths who were almost burned, but they managed to move quickly enough through the rubble and onto the street to escape.
"It's not over yet," Kayn muttered as he landed on a sharp rock.
'Get ready, Kayn.'
Nova could already see what was coming next. A Category 5 is one of the most serious things an Empath can encounter in their daily life. It takes a large group of Seventh Level Empaths like Nova to even think about hurting one, as a Category 5 is capable of threatening an entire city with its mere presence.
'Here it comes.'
He got goosebumps as he felt the dense, heavy fluctuation of energy emanating from the destroyed building. Nova frowned. An Aberration is an Aberration, after all.
The colossus rose like a living dead man without supporting itself on anything. Something invisible lifted it off the ground as if it were just a puppet on strings. It adjusted its neck with both hands and began to laugh. Its laugh was sinister and guttural.
The colossus uttered a few things that no one understood.
It was just meaningless babbling. Anyone who heard it up close would think it wasn't worth trying to understand.
Seeing that Kayn was staring like a fool, Nova frowned and shouted:
"Don't let it recover!"
His cry echoed through the streets. The information reached Kayn, and he didn't hold back. He jumped back into the rubble and charged another powerful kick at the colossus. However, this time was different.
The colossus raised his hand with his palm facing up, simulating the claws of an animal. Kayn stopped dead in his tracks. An invisible energy enveloped him and lifted him into the air.
"Telekinesis?!"
It almost seemed like a joke, but it made sense. The bald bastard had lifted huge drops of magma without even touching them. It had to be telekinesis! That was the weakness of any hand-to-hand fighter.
Luckily for him, Abby was there to the rescue.
The girl, with dark green hair and eyes of the same color, had not yet finished extinguishing the magma inside the tornado, but seeing her leader in a predicament, she thought she could use this to her advantage.
Nova was also sharing his power with her to make it more effective. That was why Abby felt stronger than usual.
Serenity, and the Ecstasy branch in general, is characterized by the enhancement of Spectrums. However, Serenity has calming effects on emotions, in addition to having a default function. Even if it was only for a few brief moments and was almost imperceptible, Nova could feel other people's emotions.
'She's scared, but the expression on her face says something completely different.'
The slight feeling of fear, unknown to Nova, covered a small part of his being. Even though it was a very stupid contradiction, it was something he had known for a long time, like a soft familiar touch in the depths of his mind.
'It hasn't been long, but—'
But it was nice to fight alongside his former faction mates. That made him smile a little.
Just a little.
Abby put all the energy control in her hands. She is not a warrior. In fact, she is a support character, just like Nova. You could tell from the way she dressed that she was not like those who fought on the front lines.
The energy covered her with warmth. It was like feeling the tender embrace of a mother who will help you in the worst situations.
With determination, she clenched her fist and the tornado turned into a large hammer, using the active magma that was cooling inside the tornado.
That hammer was huge and heavy, so heavy that Abby could barely move it with her energy control, but she still tried hard.
She swung her staff hard, pretending to hold the hammer in her hands, and made the hammer of wind and active magma strike the colossus's head.
That was enough to stun the guy, whose head sank into its neck with a powerful crash. The dry magma flew through the air, hitting buildings and destroying walls.
That was enough to free the leader.
Kayn smiled furiously as he felt the force that lifted him disappear. He landed on the rubble with agility. He looked at the target, who was still standing with a broken neck, and with powerful jumps and kicks, he immediately besieged the colossus's body.
His fists were filled with intense flames that exploded with each blow, his eyes showing a glimpse of sadistic pleasure every time blood and burnt flesh flew from the colossus's hideous body.
Is this what they call fire on fire? If it works this way, it's quite effective.
The colossus's large belly bounced with each kick and punch, but so did the minced flesh, blood, and bone fragments that splattered across the floor with viscous, disgusting noises.
The Aberration's guttural, graceless screams of agony were deafening. Nova had to cover his ears, as did many of the other Empaths.
'Calm down, man.'
This guy was going crazy because of his Spectrum, Rage. Nova was going to do something about it. But in the meantime, Kayn laughed ecstatically. It seemed like this was the first time he had enjoyed losing control of his Spectrum.
The Rage branch is known for turning its bearer into a berserker with tremendous strength, but that also causes them to lose their sanity in battle.
All Spectrums have one strong point and many other weak points. That's why each Spectrum has its own usefulness in battle.
'What crazy things would you have done if I hadn't arrived in time?'
The thought that Kayn could have gone mad was terrifying, but not for Nova.
'But it's good that he's become so strong in the last year.'
He clenched his fist, concentrating Serenity into a single point and suppressing Kayn's red aura until it disappeared. That made Kayn stop, breathing heavily.
Since the Aberration was already dead, Kayn looked up at the sky. He sighed and sat down on the colossus's belly.
'A Fourth Level Empath, huh. That's certainly a great feat,' Nova thought, having faint memories of a not-so-distant past.
Those who become strong through their own efforts are people to be admired. At least that's how it should be when the person is humble. When they're a jerk, you just tell them they're a jerk to their face.
***
"Man. Look at this mess."
Kayn, walking among the rubble and near the melted rock, scanned the surroundings with a calmer and more tired expression. His entire outfit was stained with blood, torn in places, and singed at the edges.
"What did they do with the Dimensional Portal?" Nova approached to ask.
The relaxed and calmer Kayn took out his communicator. He raised his index finger as if to say he didn't want to be disturbed and looked at his faction's group chat.
'You always do the same thing.'
With no regard for other people's privacy, Nova peered over Kayn's shoulder and looked at the communicator screen.
Master Li Hu:
[The Portal has been closed.]
[Did you have fun with the little toy that got away from me?]
[I hope so.]
[It was too easy.]
Nova put on a poker face. His thoughts were filled with insults.
'This stubborn Master is still the same conceited person as always.'
Li Hu is the kind of powerful person who deserved to be called a jerk, but he was a jerk with merits, as he is the Master of the Dimension Faction. And merits are everything in human society.
'Master Li... It's been a long time since I last spoke to him.'
He took out his own communicator and looked at his contact list. He found Master Li's name there.
'I still have his code.'
After putting away his communicator, he turned his gaze back to Kayn's communicator.
Kayn seemed to have noticed that the cheeky Nova was watching, but this was something he would also like to share with a friend.
Master Li Hu:
[Kayn.]
[Tell those who helped that their pay will be delivered tomorrow.]
[I'm tired.]
[I want to get some sleep.]
Suddenly, Kayn began to laugh. It seemed he had remembered something funny. The rumor was confirmed when, between laughs, he said:
"I'm sure that old idiot is still wearing his ryutanin pajamas."
Ryutanin is the name of Poki's race.
Nova raised his eyebrows.
'Really? Where did he get pajamas like that? Can I pay to buy Poki pajamas?'
If Kayn was laughing about that, Nova understood completely. Ryutanin are considered the most adorable race in the world. Many want to have one, but they are difficult to obtain since these creatures inhabit the Dark Islands, formerly known as the continent of Oceania.
"Hey, I think you're going a little too far. Get off me," Kayn said, looking over his shoulder at Nova.
"Sure. My mistake."
He raised both hands as if he were a criminal and took a step back. Kayn, exasperated, turned around and left the area. Meanwhile, Nova looked around, slowly lowering her hands.
'Huh.'
Among the rubble and buildings were the other Empaths. They all had to hide when Kayn went berserk. No one wanted to be accidentally hit by a Fourth Level berserker.
'I see some new faces around here. How many Empaths did Master Li Hu recruit during all this time?'
Being recruited by a faction was completely different from applying to join a faction. Possibly, just like Nova three years ago, these people were also recruited.
Some Empaths celebrated the victory with smiles as they were healed by the Healer-type Empaths, who are usually those with the Admiration Spectrum branch.
This made Nova frown, analyzing everything she could see at that moment.
'Many Faction Masters take advantage of the fact that promising young people are naive.'
In order to grow their armies of Empaths, some Factions resort to recruiting young people who have just graduated from high school. Certainly, anyone with the necessary talent could become an Empath.
'Well, it's not like they're going to kidnap you…'
Fortunately, you could leave the faction whenever you wanted. That is, if you bothered to read the contract. There were many interesting clauses to consider. Nova wasn't going to be the only fool who didn't read the contract.
"Nova!"
Abby appeared to interrupt Nova's internal monologue. She ran like a demure and shy girl. The tip of her hat danced from side to side, and her short, loose skirt threatened to move more than necessary.
"Heya."
"Hi. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes."
Always a man of few words.
"Thank you for helping us. No one else wanted to accept our help."
Abby curtsied. Then she continued:
"I suppose it's because there aren't many Empaths in the city, since it seems that the other two Factions in the city mobilized their forces to Lightflower. They say there's an emergency with a chain of Portals threatening the country."
Nova raised an eyebrow, dismayed.
'Uncle didn't say anything about that…'
"Nova? Are you listening to me?"
He sighed and nodded.
"Yes. I'm listening."
"I see. You seemed very focused and distant. It seems that part of you hasn't changed one bit. You always stay quiet, staring into space. You're very distracted, you know?"
"Yes. I know."
Then Abby started talking nonstop. Nova felt slightly exhausted. Listening to this girl was exhausting, as she is one of those people who, once they start talking, won't shut up for anything in the world.
She is the complete opposite of Nova, who prefers to say only what is necessary and nothing more.
'So Uncle went to fight in Lightflower. I'm sure they need him more than anything else in the world.'
Kayn called Abby, interrupting her lively conversation with the wall, that is, with Nova. She said goodbye hastily and ran to help the members of her faction.
'Well... I guess I have nothing else to do here.'
The battle didn't last long, and the pay will surely be good. That gave Nova a little more confidence. He put his hands in his pockets and walked toward one of the seven roads. He climbed onto the sidewalk and walked away, looking back one last time.
In the distance, Kayn waved goodbye. Nova did the same and turned his gaze back to the road.
"I'm sleepy."
His run home wouldn't take long. The disaster had happened nearby, so the trip only took a few minutes. Once he was back inside, he didn't bother to take off his boots or trench coat.
Tired, he went into his room and threw himself face-first into the bed.