Edie dragged himself forward, blood trickling in a red streak from his neck. His legs felt like they were about to give out, but a stubborn glint still burned in his eyes. In front of him was the academy's greenhouse area – their last temporary refuge.
Inside, Jinna was limping. Her right arm was stained with blood, residual magic still shimmering faintly.
-Jinna ran towards him, eyes welling up: "Thank heavens... You're alright. I've been looking for you... You're badly hurt, come in so I can bandage you!"
-Edie clasped her hand, his voice deep: "No need. It'll heal on its own... but there's something bigger... SILL. They've found this place."
A cold laugh echoed from behind:
-Ghosi: "Not 'found,' but 'arrived.'"
He emerged as if from the shadows, his eyes burning like a bloodthirsty beast. A blade flashed, razor-sharp, cutting close to Edie's neck.
Whoosh!
Blood splattered, but it wasn't Edie's. Jinna had managed to teleport him aside in time.
-Ghosi burst out laughing: "Haha... Who lets a girl save them? How embarrassing."
-Edie struggled to his feet, spitting blood: "Used to it. Glad to be alive."
Thought there were only two who knew how to fight? Wrong.
Swish!
Three people unexpectedly appeared – a sword, a spear, and a saber – and lunged at Ghosi like three flashes of lightning, piercing him simultaneously. Blood gushed like a fountain.
-Lera: "Don't be careless. There aren't only two people who know how to fight here."
Ghosi laughed loudly, his body dissolving like smoke. From a distance, a colossal wave of sword energy swept in – eroding everything it touched.
-Ghosi: "The pain isn't enough yet... Give me a thrill, HAHAHA!"
He lunged, aiming for the one holding the saber, moving faster than the eye could see. But no – that was Ito's corpse. A trap. The real Ghosi appeared from behind, raising his sword.
-Edie: "Not a second time."
A punch like thunder struck his chest, a clear cracking sound. Ghosi recoiled but didn't fly back, only stumbled and... smiled.
-Ghosi: "That hurt... But weaker than I thought."
BOP!
Edie landed another punch to the face. But he... was truly thrilled. The sword swung around in a vortex of death. If Jinna hadn't teleported them, perhaps all three would have been cut in half.
But...
The spear-wielder wasn't fast enough.
Half his body was torn apart during the teleportation. Blood sprayed like rain, heavy and silent.
-Ghosi glanced at Jinna: "The girl using magic... dangerous. Kill her first."
He prepared to lunge, but...
-Edie whispered: "No... I won't let you touch her."
He opened his palm, drawing in the discarded soul energy within the academy. Emotions, resentment, death energy – all poured into Edie's body like a black torrent.
His eyes turned ash-red. His breath came in ragged gasps. His entire body trembled as if about to explode.
-Edie: "I didn't want to use this... but now it's different."
Edie threw a punch at Ghosi, making him stagger. The punch not only shattered his ribs, but the air around him also fractured as if compressed and then exploded.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, shards of stone flying everywhere. Each time Edie threw a punch, the air around him seemed to vibrate with that brutal power, which only excited Ghosi...
-Ghosi laughed maniacally: "That's it... what I've been looking for... what thrills me to the bone...!"
He shrieked, his entire body shaking. The sword in his hand began to melt, then merged into his arm as if it were part of his flesh and blood. Bones cracked, muscles swelled, and black wings sprouted from his back with gruesome "crunching" sounds.
-Ghosi: "Now it's... REALLY FUN...!"
BOP!
Before he could finish screaming, Edie lunged like a living bullet, delivering a horizontal kick to his chest that sent him recoiling, his wings vibrating violently from the impact.
Immediately, Jinna teleported the two surviving teammates high up, aiming to slash down from mid-air.
Blades swung down from two directions simultaneously. But Ghosi only needed one backward slash.
"Shing-!!"
Two bodies were cut in half, falling like two heavy sacks of meat. Blood sprayed like a hose.
Edie gritted his teeth, not stopping. Before Ghosi's blade could retract, he delivered a direct punch to his face, a blow filled with resentment and bizarre spiritual power that sent Ghosi flying, slamming hard into the glass wall behind him.
The glass exploded into dust.
Without a word, Edie continued to charge. The two engaged in close combat with no tricks, no more magic.
Only the sound of fists and cracking bones remained.
BOP!
SLASH!
BOP!
Edie fought as if each punch was his last breath. And Ghosi, screaming wildly, slashed haphazardly around him.
Each time Ghosi landed a hit, Jinna immediately teleported a healing spell to Edie – weak, slow magic, but it kept him on his feet.
-Ghosi panted, blood dripping from his mouth: "Damn it... this guy... isn't like before..."
His body trembled. For the first time, he felt... fear.
He roared, teleporting to the bodies of his two dead comrades. He slashed down, blood spurting as the sacrificial ritual began.
The teleportation circle flared brightly, accompanied by an energy explosion that churned the ground. Two dark figures appeared in that light – two SILL commanders had arrived.
Grit, dark-skinned, sinewy like a wild beast, his eyes burning red like fire.
Lucy, with platinum white hair, eyes still as ice, carrying an aura of death.
-Grit glanced around, snorting: "You teleported us here just to play with these brats? Please, at least one... but it's two. Do you know how much time you're wasting?"
-Lucy's eyes narrowed: "It's not as simple as you think. These kids aren't weak... And... it seems another strong one is coming."
Thud... Thud...
Footsteps echoed from afar – slow, steady, like war drums.
A figure gradually emerged through the dust haze – holding two long tonfa. He wore a neat academy uniform, but his eyes were sharp as knives.
Brand – a senior student, Bellasia Academy's armed MMA war god. 29 undefeated matches in the death arena. No one had ever made him lose.
Brand had slightly spiky reddish-orange hair, amber eyes that glowed like fire, always hidden behind dark sunglasses, giving him a mysterious yet nonchalant air.
-Brand smirked: "Thought this was a hiding place... who knew I'd have to fight again. So tiring."
-Ghosi (roaring): "See! Do you believe me now! I told you these guys were strong!"
-Grit glanced over, scoffing: "I see... but I see you're more afraid of death. Always trying to put on a show."
The air was so cold it cut the skin. Every breath seemed to freeze in the throat.
Lucy stepped forward like a white phantom. Her platinum hair billowed, her eyes cold as an abyss.
With each step, ice spread across the ground, so fast that Jinna had to constantly retreat to avoid being frozen.
-Lucy softly: "Do you think stubbornness alone will win? Naive."
She swung her hand, and a storm of black snow poured down like thousands of blades. Jinna had to constantly use teleportation to dodge, sweat dripping from her forehead.
-Jinna thought to herself: "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 more than a dozen critical blows on Ghosi. His hand veins were cracked, his breathing ragged, his shirt torn, dried blood clinging around his eyes.
-Ghosi roared like a mad beast: "PAIN! MORE! HIT ME MOREEEEE!"
-Edie (hissing through gritted teeth): "You're too crazy..."
Edie's next punch went straight into Ghosi's stomach – blood spurted, but he laughed hoarsely like he was high, still slashing wildly with his sword-arm. Edie could only narrowly dodge, each blow nearly fatal.
Meanwhile, Jinna teleported behind Lucy, trying to break the snow barrier with a fire spell, something she rarely used.
-Jinna: "Fire Heart Pierce Ice!"
A scorching pillar of fire erupted, burning through the black snow, breaking part of the barrier and forcing Lucy to retreat for the first time.
Lucy (eyes narrowed):
"Fire? 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 "Immovable Snow Cage." If hit, it would freeze her nerves, turning Jinna into a breathing corpse.
At the same time, Edie delivered a final punch to Ghosi's chest, shattering his ribs. Ghosi screamed then collapsed, his chest caved in, blood gushing out.
But when Edie turned to help Jinna, it was too late.
Lucy unleashed a razor-thin ice blade, piercing Edie's shoulder and freezing the muscles within.
-Edie knelt: "Damn... I'm getting weaker..."
-Jinna screamed: "Don't touch him!"
In an instant, 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 image spell she had concealed earlier.
-Jinna: "Ice... reflects fire. But it can't reflect... light from memories."
The spell detonated, reflecting light directly into Lucy's eyes, blinding her temporarily for a few seconds.
Edie seized the opportunity, channeling all his remaining resentment into a direct punch at Lucy's barrier.
BOOM!
The ice layer shattered, and Lucy was thrown backward. Ice shards embedded in her chest, blood trickling onto the snow.
-Edie panted, collapsing: "Is it... over?"
-Jinna, holding her injured shoulder: "Not sure... but she's not moving anymore."
Both were too exhausted to check and instead turned to look towards Brand, where the sound of clashing metal roared like thunder.
Edie (panting, collapsing):
"Is it... over?"
Jinna (holding her injured shoulder):
"Not sure... but she's not moving anymore."
In the other corner, Grit was like a living nightmare – enemy blood splattered on his blade, the more he fought, the faster, the stronger he became. Brand was pushed back step by step. His sunglasses cracked on one side.
-Grit (laughing maniacally): "Haha! Fighter? I've killed entire armies with my bare hands, you think I'm afraid of your wooden bat?"
-Brand wiped blood from his lip, disdainfully: "Yeah, but you talk like a loudspeaker... doesn't sound much like someone who 'killed entire armies.'"
Grit roared, swinging his sword like a bloodstorm.
Grit was shirtless, covered in blood. His Vladium sword vibrated wildly, howling for more lives. Brand faced him, one arm broken, cuts all over his body, but still maintaining a sharp defensive stance.
-Grit chuckled, looking to the other side: "You killed Lucy, huh? Hmm... good. Just me left is enough."
Suddenly, a cold surge cut across the battlefield, as if winter had come alive.
From the shattered glass, Lucy struggled to her feet. Her hands trembled, blood still flowed, but her eyes had turned a brilliant blue – a sign of "Final Icelation": her ultimate skill, burning life force to transform into absolute damage.
-Lucy whispered: "I cannot die..."
She walked forward, standing behind Grit. They had never coordinated before, but their killing intent automatically merged into one.
-Grit glanced: "Oh, still alive? Good for you. Then... let's finish them together."
Brand began to falter – Grit swung faster and faster, while Lucy fired ice arrows from a distance to support him, cutting off escape routes. The battle completely turned.
-Jinna (gritting her teeth): "Brand will die if this continues..."
Edie struggled up, his voice hoarse: "As long as I'm alive... I'll keep fighting..."
Though almost completely exhausted, Edie stood up. His entire body trembled. One hand clenched into a fist, the remaining Nifow energy gathered like the embers of a storm.
He lunged, using his own body to block an ice arrow from Lucy, then appeared right behind her.
-Lucy startled, turning back: "What?"
-Edie looked straight into her eyes, whispering: "Sorry... this time I really have to send you off."
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, her nose, her heart. No magic could keep her.
She dropped her sword, collapsing onto the snow, the ice no longer spreading.
-Grit roared: "You bastards!!!"
He charged furiously but Brand had stood up, his glasses shattered, revealing his true eyes glowing golden.
-Brand: "Alone now, huh? Now it's my turn."
Brand and Edie both charged, ganging up on Grit. Tonfas swung horizontally – resentment surged – blood splattered.
Finally, a cross hook from Brand and a direct punch from Edie finished Grit – his head slumped, no more curses.
Lucy lay motionless on the blood-stained snow. Her eyes stared wide into the distance where a faint blue light emanated from the Ancient Star stone, hovering on a stone altar in the ancient shrine area.
-Lucy said in her dying breath: "...I'm... sorry... Father..."
A single tear – the only one – rolled from her cold eye.
Snow stopped falling.
The Ancient Star stone – Memories begin
It was an ancient stone, an upgraded version of the familiar Ston Star stone used in energy circles.
The Ancient Star not only absorbs natural energy from the air, spiritual energy, and matter, but also stores them with unusually high stability.
Its danger lies in this: if not used at the right time, the stone will explode after exceeding its storage limit, taking all the energy in the area with it.
Most stones that reached that limit self-destructed. Only a few stones historically existed that could store almost limitlessly, growing stronger the longer they were kept – known as "Ancient Star" – so rare that many believed it was just a legend.
However... one of them was now glowing right before As Now and Hakan's eyes.
Memory space opens from the stone
The scene twisted. Hakan and As Now were pulled into a dark, endlessly swirling space.
-As Now's voice was even: "Don't fight anymore. Can we have a truce for a moment?"
-Hakan scoffed: "Scared?"
The space vibrated. Everything deformed.
A memory appeared – it was an image of Hakan in his youth. A scrawny child, his eyes filled with wild fire.
-As Now: "Hmm... Is that you as a child? You look quite bright, not as ruined as you are now."
-Hakan narrowed his eyes: "...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 here more valuable than our fight."
Time passed quickly – Hakan grew up through each scene: killing, rebelling, trampling the weak, trusting no one.
A segment paused – an image of As Now (then a SILL commander), watching him from afar with interest.
-As Now: "Back then... you were truly crazy. He asked who deserved to join SILL, and I pointed to you without thinking."
-Hakan coldly: "Yes, I remember. Back then we even... called each other comrades."
-As Now: "Thinking back now... it's a bit of a pity."
The scene shifted. A white room, cold lights. Children with tubes attached, chemicals being infused, tortured to "increase combat potential."
-As Now sighed softly: "This is me. Welcome."
A special scene appeared – 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, living like a wild beast. Then I 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... a god who came to save me."
-Hakan smirked: "And he tried to make me breed with a 'perfect host' to create heirs for SILL. Lucky I refused then."
Bloody battlefield scenes. As Now and Hakan fought 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 pursued. A woman hid him. She loved him, gave birth to Lucy, then died immediately after childbirth.
-As Now: "I never loved her... but I owe her a lot."
The scene shifted – As Now playing with Lucy, teaching her to use a knife, coldly pointing: "The world isn't a good place."
-Hakan's voice hardened: "You brought your daughter into your personal war... truly despicable."
-As Now's eyes darkened: "You call that despicable? I call that teaching her 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's voice was sharp as ice: "So what about the justice you talk about? How many people have you killed for some unnamed, despicable ideal? And I... I use violence so people learn to fear. And from fear... they change."
-Hakan looked directly: "You don't want to change the world. You just want it to hurt as much as you do."
--End of chapter—