《I Only Want To Kill》 Chapter 1: Kill him Chapter 1 - 1: Kill him[System Online] [Initializing...] [Please do not end your life when this icon appears to avoid corrupting your auto saves.] [First mission received: Kill your stepfather.] "What?" Blaze is dumbfounded. His eyes are wide, and his mouth is opened. Water is still running in the sink, and Blaze is in the middle of cleaning the dishes. Somehow, a transparent window appeared and showed him all of those previous messages and also gave him a bizarre mission. A mission that he has been dreaming of doing for years. Suddenly, a white ceramic cup flies over from the living room and hits Blaze''s head. The cup was not soft, and he can feel the pain stinging into his brain. Blaze grimaces like an old lady and grabs his head. "What are you doing standing like an idiot? Do the goddamn dishes, you fucking idiot!" Phuc yells in from the living room. Yes, his name is pronounced exactly like you''re thinking, but instead of an ''f,'' his name starts with ''ph''. And he has been the one who terrorized Blaze and his mother for five long years. Blaze breathes in deeply, holding his rage, and then continues washing the dishes. Phuc sees the boy finally stop loitering around, so he continues watching the television. His fat belly swells forward and bounces like jelly. His head is ninety percent bald with only a few strands of hair around his ear. Phuc is an F grade Awakened. An awakened is simply someone who can naturally awaken a superhuman ability without making any alteration to their body. F is the lowest of the low of the Awakened. It means that your ability isn''t even useful for everyday life and is completely pointless to exist. But, even if you are the lowest of the low in the Awakened grade, you are still better than trash genes, also known as trashies for short. Trashies are people who are so unlucky that they don''t even have a special ability nor are able to awaken one. They are even lower than the F grade and aren''t considered proper citizens of Ranas. Trashies can''t own land, can''t use public facilities, and can''t even be registered for credit usage. Unless one of the people in their family has superhuman ability. Then every trashy of that house is now considered a proper citizen with constitutional rights. Blaze''s family was once in a similar situation, and his father was the only Awakened in the house. This was enough to keep them from being torn apart by this cruel society. But then his father died. And as anyone can imagine, to save Blaze''s future and her own, the mother was forced to remarry to anyone that was available. Marrying a trashy is considered pathetic for the Awakened, so only the loser will do so. Such as ''Phuc''. And he''s always thinking that he''s giving Blaze and his mother a favor. Without him, they would be homeless and probably have died somewhere already. This mindset obviously has caused Phuc to do as he pleases to the poor mother and son. Blaze sneakily glances to the living room. Phuc is now completely focused on watching some kind of reality TV show with Awakened celebrities, giving the boy time to check whatever this semi-transparent window is. Phuc did not react to this weird hologram at all. This means he cannot see it. Blaze knows that at least. He then tries to click on the mission to see if there''s anything else to it. [Mission: Kill your stepfather. Mission Detail: Phuc has been abusing you and your mother too much and for far too long. He is not worthy to live on this Earth for any seconds more. Kill him and receive your reward! Mission reward: A surprise gift for Beginner; your very own customizable weapon; 1x Superpower Blindbox.] "What''s a superpower blindbox?" Blaze mumbles so only he can hear. And as if the transparent window understands his words, more information shows up. [Superpower Blindbox: Receive any random superpower from grade S to F.] Blaze''s heart skips a beat. A superpower means he will no longer be the disposable trashy and can finally become so much more. With superpower, he will climb to the top of this world, not like that loser Phuc that only knows to eat, sleep, and abuse him and his mother. Phuc doesn''t even go to work these days, and only Blaze''s mother does. A luxury only an Awakened can have. Blaze and she are nothing more than slaves to him. Calm down! Calm down! This may not be real. This can be some Awakened trying to prank me. They even know Phuc, and both of them are just trying to find a reason to kill me legally. You can kill trashies with probable cause. No court needed, no investigation. The probable cause is also only an excuse, and nobody cares if that cause is reasonable or not. This society is cold-blooded like that. Blaze finishes washing the dishes and puts them into the cupboard. His hand is shaking nonstop from the fear and excitement. Images and images of Blaze ending Phuc''s life keep materializing in his head. It makes him exhilarating and high as a kite. All that anger, all those sadnesses and desperations can be stopped with just one simple life. But Blaze questions himself also. Assuming whatever the window says is real, does Phuc really deserve to die? Blaze goes out to the living room, his eyes glaring at Phuc without blinking, a kitchen knife is carefully tucked behind his back, concealed under the shirt. "What are you looking at, trashy?" Phuc moves his chin up high, looking ridiculous like a high school boy trying to be intimidated. How did this man even grow up? He''s not even a proper man. But that doesn''t mean he deserves to die. Blaze thinks. Then, there is the sound of a door opening. Blaze''s mother, Kana, goes home after a long day at work. She''s working as a waitress in the diner up the street, not too far from here. Kana is only in her early forties. She has curly black hair and a nice pale complexion. She used to look very beautiful, but since Phuc moved in, wrinkles started showing up on her face like worms, and the black bags under her eyes never left. "Hi, Mom!" Blaze smiles wholeheartedly. Even though mother is not like she used to be. She will always be the most beautiful woman in his eyes. "Hi, kiddo!" Kana smiles. The smile hides a sky of sorrow and misery, but it is as bright as ever toward her kid. "Ah, woman! You came back just in time! I am extremely horny!" Phuc grabs his groin and starts shaking it in front of Kana. He licks his lips and looks at her chest. "Take your clothes off, woman!" "Ah, dear! Blaze is still here! Can''t we wait for a bit, or can we go to the bedroom?" Kana tries to smile but it only gives out a burden look. "You shouldn''t treat my mother like that, stepfather." Blaze says. Phuc turns to him immediately and slaps his greasy, stinky palm on Blaze''s face. "Who the fuck are you calling step-father, trashy? I ain''t your father. Haven''t you understood already? I took you in because of this bitch. If it weren''t for her nice tits, do you think you could live here, boy? S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I''m doing charity work here. So know your fucking place. Do the chores and shut the hell up." Phuc''s veins bulge on his temples, and his face turns bright red. He roars loudly, spitting everywhere. Blaze stands still, doesn''t even lift his hand to rub the red cheek that becomes swollen due to the slap. Kana pulls Phuc''s arm repeatedly and drops to her knees. Her face is distraught, and tears fill up her eyes. "Please forgive him! He didn''t mean it! Whatever you want to do, I will do it!" "I need you to get naked, woman! Let me show this ungrateful child how I fuck his mother!" Phuc grabs Kana''s blouse and rips it off in one swing, leaving the woman with only a bra on her upper body. Chapter 2: First Blood Chapter 2 - 2: First BloodPhuc pushes Kana on the ground. She covers her chest tightly and screams as loud as she can. The man sits on her belly and punches the air out of her, causing her to shut up. "No one is going to hear you, bitch! Your previous husband chose a nice location. No one is around to hear you scream. So stop harassing my ear." Phuc starts caressing Kana''s body, his eyes radiating the uncontrollable lust. Kana closes her eyes, crying in silence. "Go away, Blaze. Don''t look..." Blaze lunges at the back of Phuc and wraps his arm around the abuser''s neck. "Get your filthy hands off my mother!" Blaze drags him back. The kid is only sixteen and malnourished, but a fat couch potato has little to no strength to resist. "What are you doing, boy?! Release me!" Phuc tries to wriggle out but only feels the arm around his neck become tighter. He starts to cough uncontrollably. Kana recovers from the hit and sits back up. She blankly stares at the two men, not knowing what to do. "Help me, women! Help me!" Phuc screams, his spit flies everywhere. "This ends right now!" Blaze says, his tone is calm and cold, his eyes filled with fury. He has let this man cross the lines too many times. He has let him do anything he likes to his mother for too long. Phuc needs to die. Blaze grabs the knife on his waist and stabs it into the back of Phuc''s neck. Phuc struggles in desperation, his two hands reach out, grabbing air. Saliva spills out of his lips, a semi-transparent white fog flows out of his mouth. That is Phuc''s superpower. He can blow white fog out of his mouth. Unfortunately the volume of the fog is limited to that of a cigarette blow, and the white isn''t even that thick and can''t be used as concealment. "Hel..." Phuc opens his mouth and intends to cry for help. Kana grabs her torn blouse that is lying on the floor and stubs it in Phuc''s mouth. The man''s eyes are wide open, his pupil dilates. He can''t believe the scaredy cat, always listening to his order, Kana, dares to do such things. Blaze laughs like a demon and repeatedly stabs the knife into Phuc''s neck. Blood spurts out like fountain rain, painting Blaze''s shirt a crimson, deathly red. The man isn''t dead yet and is still trying his best to escape Blaze''s grapple. His strength diminishes second by second, and all the muscles are slowly giving out. Seeing the time has come, Blaze shoves Phuc to the ground and thrusts the knife into Phuc''s right ear. His right eye pops out of its socket and rolls like a ball. [You have gained 10 experience points!] [Status window is unlocked.] [Inventory is unlocked.] [Quest list is unlocked.] [Mission accomplished!] [Reward is delivered to Inventory.] [Please check inventory for further details.] The transparent window pops up again. As Blaze guessed, no one else can see it except him. Even his mother is completely oblivious to the weird hologram. Kana breathes heavily but is weirdly calm about the situation. She carefully observes the bloody scene. "This is bad, kiddo. They will come for us." Kana says. "I will protect you, mother. I became an Awakened!" Blaze gleefully says. He knows it may not be the perfect time, but it is a child''s desire to share good news with their parents. "Really? My god, Blaze! I''m so happy for you!" Kana hugs her kid. Blaze is taller than her, but he squats down so she can hug his head like they always did. Blaze is covered in blood, but that does not seem to bother Kana. "If you have power, then everything is much simpler now." Kana says. "What are you thinking, mother?" "Grab the shovel, kiddo. We''re going to bury this pig." Their house was bought by Blaze''s father years ago when Blaze was around nine. The house has a small, secluded garden at the back. This area is also in the middle of nowhere, and rarely anyone crosses by. Even though there is still sunlight, Blaze and Kana decide to bury the corpse right away. The faster it disappears, the better it is for them. Blaze and Kana drag the corpse outside the garden. Phuc is extremely heavy, and they try for quite a while to successfully bring him outside. Then, Kana covers the body with a tarp, along with other garden utensils. If someone is passing by, they won''t be able to notice the body. "Wash yourself and change your clothes, then put on garden gloves and boots. If anyone asks, you tell them you''re digging a hole for a new plant, got it?" Kana says. "I understand, Mother. And what are you going to do?" Blaze says. "I''m going to clean the pool of blood that pig left behind. We need to act fast, Blaze. Our lives depend on it." "I''ll understand, Mother. You can count on me." Then the two separate to do their jobs. Blaze washes quickly and changes into fresh new clothes. What''s important now is to dispose of the corpse. He can have time for careful scrubbing later. He puts on the yellow garden gloves and boots, grabs the shovel, and begins digging. His heart beats fast like the frantic wings of a trapped bird inside the cage. Sweat runs on his face, and the sun shines on the back of his head. Whatever happens, he still focuses on digging the hole. A couple of cars run by a few times. Each time, Blaze feels like dropping inside a cold fridge. And each time, the car runs past without stopping. Time passes and the twilight comes. The last light of the day slowly disappears behind the horizon. Kana has come out of the house to watch the sundown with her son. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "When it''s dark. We will put him in." Blaze says. Kana nods. "You seem much more composed than I thought you would, mother. It''s like you have done this before." Blaze says. "Me and your father have lots of tales that you don''t know, kiddo. In this godforsaken ''superheroes'' world, one must do unspeakable things to survive." Kana says, emphasize the ''superheroes'' with extreme irony and contempt. Superheroes? What a joke... Kana thinks. "What''s your superpower, kiddo?" "I haven''t tested it yet, Mother. I will try it out after this and tell you the result." Blaze says, looking over to his ''Inventory'' window. [INVENTORY] [Beginner''s gift; The Weapon; Superpower Blindbox.] The inventory is a grid-based window with icons of whatever he''s currently possessed. Right now, there are only eight available grids, and three of them are filled with icons. The first grid is a red present box, the beginner''s gift. The second grid is a question mark, this should be the customizable weapon. The third grid has a square golden chest with no keyhole, this should be the Blindbox. Blaze doesn''t know what will happen if he receives the super power, so he refrains from taking it right away. He has heard about people who have a convulsion for their Awakening, some go to sleep for weeks to months. He can''t do that right now because he needs to help his mother get rid of this corpse. "There''s no rush, kiddo. Whatever happens, I have your back." Kana says. Blaze smiles. He does not have that great of a life, but at least he still has his mother. "It''s dark. Let''s bury the pig, Mom." Chapter 3: The Power Chapter 3 - 3: The PowerBlaze and Kana bury the body. It takes them almost four hours to complete the job. To make sure no keen eye will find the mound of dirt suspicious, Blaze has an idea to put a plant on it. Since his mother already has the excuse that they were digging for a new plant, Blaze feels like they should do it for real. This can avoid so many problems in the future. It''s almost midnight now. Sweat covers Blaze''s body after the fact. He stands up straight for the wind to blow on him, the addictive sensation of coolness washes over his body. There isn''t a tiny bit of regret or remorse growing inside him. That pig deserved to die. There''s only contempt for Phuc inside Blaze and delightfulness for his death. Kana is tired to the bone. She sits down on the ground, arms wrapped around her knees. "Will someone be looking for him?" Blaze says. Kana shakes her head. "I doubt it. Apart from the fact that he is an Awakened, he is still a loser. He has no friends, no family, and his old colleagues hated him." "So no one will remember the pig. A suitably pathetic end for him." "It does. But his credit code is what saves us. We can only use his code for a week before it expires. We''re going to need to register you before that." "Don''t worry, Mom. I have powers, we can deal with that quickly." Blaze goes inside the house. He stops at the door when he sees his mother stays still. "Are you not going in, Mother?" "It''s been a while since I felt this free, kiddo. I want to enjoy it a bit." Woman, do that. Woman, do this. That was what Kana''s life had always been with Phuc. She didn''t even have time to breathe properly. Blaze goes inside the house and returns with a blanket. He put it on his mother. "There''s nothing to rush, Mom. Take your time. Take tomorrow off if you need to. We don''t have the pig to feed anymore. I''m going to go check my powers now. I''ll tell you about it tomorrow." Blaze gently kisses his mother''s forehead. "It''s been hard. But I will take care of everything from now on." Kana''s eyes are filled with tears. She rubs Blaze''s head. "You really have grown up." Blaze leaves Kana to sit in the garden. She seems fine, only needs time for herself to process. The kid goes to shower again. This time, he does it thoroughly and makes sure no blood or dirt remains. He puts on his black shorts and gets on the bed. It is now time for what he has been waiting for all night long, checking his reward. First, he must experiment with the hologram window that only he can see. He must know how to use it properly to avoid unwanted issues. Blaze tries to flick his fingers. Nothing appears. He tries to focus and imagine the window, still nothing. Window. Blaze speaks inside his head. The transparent window suddenly materializes. This time, it''s not only just words and sentences like previously. Instead, there are three icons visible on the hologram. One is a simple, geometric silhouette of a human outline. It''s like those stick figures that children used to draw. Second is an icon of a backpack. Third is a quill pen with white feathers. "These should be the Status, Inventory and Quest." Blaze reaches out and touches the Status icon. [STATUS] [Name: Blaze Singer] [Species: Human] [Age: 16] [Attributes] Strength - 4 Stamina - 5 Agility - 6 Dexterity - 3 Perception - 5 Endurance - 7 [Power: None] [Equipment: None] [Experience: 10] A window pops up with all Blaze''s details. It even has an attribute section that evaluates his current body. The name of each attribute is self-explanatory so Blaze easily understands it. He then closes the Status window and taps on the Quest icon. [QUEST] [Ongoing] None [Failed] None [Completed] Kill your stepfather. The quest window is simpler than the status and only has three different tabs for ongoing missions, failed missions, and completed missions. Right now, Blaze only has one completed mission. "It looks like I will have lots more things to do in the future." Blaze closes the Quest window and finally opens the Inventory. As before, the Inventory is a grid-based window with eight available grids, and three of them are taken. [INVENTORY] [Beginner''s gift] [The Weapon] [Superpower Blindbox] Blaze clicks on the Blindbox. [Opening Blindbox...] [Congratulations, you have received Force Strike (E-rank)] [Force Strike: Your palms can shoot out a short-ranged, invisible force that pushes objects or people away.] Rank: E (0/200 EXP) Blaze inhales deeply. He can feel a tingling and burning sensation in his hand. The inside of his palms glows a faint blue color and radiates translucent ripples like heat distortion. The kid calms down and closes his palms. The blue haze disappears along with the weird feeling inside the muscle fibers. That was his Awakening. Simple, short, almost unnoticed. Blaze thinks the reason for the difference is that it is a superpower given by this mysterious system instead of a naturally born one. Blaze thrusts his palms toward the window of his room. A low thump rings out, and the blue haze shoots out from his palm. The windows swing wide open and slam on the wall. His palm stings for a bit, but the feeling quickly goes away after a few seconds. Blaze tries again, this time repeatedly using the power. The blue haze shoots out like flickering light. After about five times consecutively, Blaze''s entire hand cramps, its muscle tightens like rock, and the fingers lock themselves in place. The blue haze stops shooting out and only creates a small distortion around the hand. The worst feeling in the world is muscle cramps. Blaze grimaces but tries his best to stay calm and relax. His palm releases itself after around thirty seconds, a wearout sensation clings onto the muscle of the hand. "Repeated use in a short time will cause contraction in my hand and muscle wear..." Blaze mumbles, calculating the limits of his newfound power. "I should be fine if I distribute the use logically. Five seconds for each strike should be good." His new superpower is only E-rank. The rank is not entirely useless, but it has no usefulness in working or combat either. His Force Strike can push a window open but cannot push a cart or even a grown adult. The power of the push is comparable to a teenager at best. It also limits the ability to push and not pull, or precise control. A precise and more powerful version of this power should be the Telekinesis (A-rank), the power everyone dreams about. But not all hope is lost. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because under the Force Strike details, there is an experience bar. Blaze immediately tries to put his little amount of experience in. Ones that he received from killing Phuc. [Force Strike (E): 10/200 EXP] And as he thought, the experience can be used to upgrade his powers. Blaze smirks, barely able to contain his excitement. He then continues to open the two other items. Next, he clicks on the Beginner''s Gift. [Opening Beginner''s Gift...] [Congratulations, you have received x1 Tattered Cloak, x1 Lantern of the Damned, x1 Grappling Hook] "What the..." Blaze is visibly confused. He clicks on each item to read its details. [Grappling Hook] - Type: Equipment. - Description: Small, compact device to be placed on the wrist. The arrow is attached to the rope and can stick to any surface. [Lantern of the Damned] - Type: Equipment. - Description: A lantern of unknown origins that uses soul for oil. [Tattered Cloak] - Type: Equipment. - Description: Torn and worn-out black cloak. Especially useful in darkness. Blaze''s frown deepens. The Grappling Hook is self-explanatory, but the Lantern and the Cloak seem extremely suspicious. Better try it out. Blaze press ''equip'' for all three of the items. A black fabric materializes and entwines his body. A blink of an eye later, a mysterious figure covered in a shabby black cloak replaces Blaze in his position. Its entire body is covered by darkness, and in its hand, a yellow light lantern is dangling. On the figure''s wrist is a small device covered in leather. Back in the garden, Kana is already gone. But under the mound of dirt that is Phuc''s body, a yellow fireball that is the size of a baby''s palm suddenly appears, and it screams out a shrieking, deafening cry. The face of Phuc can be seen trapped inside its yellow shade. The yellow fire bolts onto the second floor and goes into Blaze''s room. It is sucked inside the lantern, making it shine brighter than before. Blaze, with his new appearance and darkness face, looks into the lantern light. Inside, Phuc is suffering and agonizing by the fire of his own soul. The black figure shares a devious, haunting smile with the poor trapped soul. Chapter 4: Destruction Wand Chapter 4 - 4: Destruction Wand[Grappling Hook] - Equipment Rank: Common - Hidden Power: None [Tattered Cloak] - Equipment Rank: Uncommon - Hidden Power: One with Shadow. - One with Shadow: When you are within darkness, you can fuse with the shadow and erase your presence. You cannot be heard, seen, or interacted with in any way. This ability is neutralized if the shadow in which you are occupied is illuminated. [Lantern of the Damned] - Equipment Rank: Rare - Hidden Power: Soul Reap; Soul Flare. - Soul Reap: You can collect the souls of those you have wronged. - Soul Flare: You can burn the souls you have collected, causing them more suffering even in death. The light they produced automatically dispels all illusion or magical darkness. As Blaze suspected, the two ordinary items are not ordinary at all. In them are special hidden powers that can only be revealed when equipped. Tattered Cloak is excellent for espionage and stealth. Its function is limited in direct combat, as enemies can easily dispel the invisibility by a light source. Lantern of the Damned is the best of the bunch with two hidden powers. One to collect the souls and the other to burn them. Phuc is floundering aimlessly inside the confines of his flame. His soul no longer knows sense and is only able to feel pain. Blaze can see the fire dimming and becoming smaller the longer he burns the soul. With one simple thought, he turns off Soul Flare. The fire grows faint and is now only an obscure yellow spot of light. Even though it is hard to notice, the yellow soul is slowly growing larger, returning to its original size. "The soul seems to be able to self-recover. If that''s the case, as long as I don''t use him in one go, I should be able to burn him for eternity." Blaze''s smile widens to the edge of his face. He is currently wearing the Tattered Cloak which disguises most of his appearance. His face is a pit of shadow with no actual facial characteristics. That is why when he smiles, a crescent moon appears that looks extremely unsettling. Blaze flicks his wrist. The Lantern disappears into a puff of yellow smoke. It is still equipped, and he can materialize it at any time. The Tattered Cloak does not have this feature though, it''s either he''s wearing it or he''s not wearing it. "Only one final thing." Blaze looks over to his Inventory. Of the three original icons, two have disappeared completely. One grid is filled with a new pixelated icon of a lantern, representing the new item he has. The Tattered Cloak and Grappling Hook are not in the Inventory as he is wearing them. Blaze touches the question mark icon. [Customizing weapon...] [Please design your desired weapon] Blaze taps his fingers on the shadowy jaw, thinking about what he should make. He doesn''t know the extent of creating this weapon. Will it have Hidden Power like the equipment he just received? Can''t he wish for a nuclear warhead? [The weapon function and capabilities are limited to the user''s current power] A window pops up and answers his concern. "It seems like I cannot make something too overpowered. If that''s the case, what kind of weapon do I need right now?" He has temporary invisibility with the Tattered Cloak, an illusion breaker with the Lantern of the Damned, and the Grappling Hook is purely a traversing tool. Force Strike is only E-rank, it doesn''t have actual combat ability and is only useful in very specific scenarios. After pondering hard, Blaze decides that he lacks firepower. Force Strike can keep enemies at a distance, and Tattered Cloak can be used for assassination. Blaze needs a long-range weapon that can kill a target in one simple strike. This kind of weapon is best to use in combination with his current abilities. And there is no better weapon that can fill this role than a gun. "I want a handgun that is easy to carry with a long effective range and strong enough firepower to kill most people in one shot." Blaze doesn''t understand guns, so he just describes what he wants to the System. He lifts his hand to the air. Digitized squares materialize inside his palm, a weapon is quickly forming and taking shape. [Retrieving User''s preference...] [Creating a weapon that fits the user''s desire...] A few seconds pass, and all the digitized squares fuse into a wand. At first look, Blaze swears it is a human finger bone. It has that same pale shade of brown with a polished and shiny finish. The tip is shaved as sharp as a needle, while the handle is wrapped in this creepy bark-like material that actually moves around Blaze''s finger. "What the?" [Weapon created] Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Destruction Wand] - Equipment Rank: Rare - Hidden Power: Lightning Strike; Destruction Beam. - Lightning Strike: The wand can shoot out destructive lightning that can kill normal people in one strike. Each shot creates a loud thunder roar. - Destruction Beam: The wand can charge its power for thirty seconds and shoot out a black, lightning-speed beam with destructive power that automatically finds its target. Blaze inhales deeply and holds the wand like a baby. It''s not the gun he''s asking for, but it is better in every way. He can''t even believe the System is so generous and grants a Rare rank Equipment for the customizable weapon. Blaze flicks his palm, and the wand disappears into the Inventory. A new pixelated wand is inserted into one of the grids with a small letter ''E'' as in equipped attached to it. Similar to the Lantern, the weapon can also be withheld inside the Inventory and can materialize with a single thought. Blaze feels incredibly happy with all his newfound strength. A simple superpower is useless, but those pieces of equipment are magnificent. "Even though my power is E-rank. I feel like I can easily be compared to D-rank or even C-rank superheroes." Suddenly, Kana''s voice comes up from downstairs. "Blaze! Come down here! Something''s happened!" His mother shouts with clear anxiety in her tone. "I''m coming, Mother!" A low, hoarse voice replies Kana. "Why is your voice so weird?" Blaze''s voice sounds like an angel in her head, therefore she is rather surprised. Kana was thinking that maybe Blaze is in some kind of shock. That could explain the voice change. Kana turns her back to see the figure walking down the stairs. A humanoid being made out of black smoke that is covered in a rugged, black cloak. Its face is hollow with darkness, and only its white teeth are visible. Kana screams for her life and grabs the kitchen knife. "Mother?" "Do not come near me!" Kana points the knife toward Blaze but clumsily slips her footing due to a puddle of water on the floor. She falls to her back, and the knife slips off her hand. Blaze steps forward, unequipped the Tattered Cloak. He returns to his original form. His left hand slaps the knife in mid-air so that it won''t fall onto Kana. His right hand reaches out and supports his mother, preventing her from falling. "Are you okay, Mother?" "Hang on." Kana blinks then stays silent for a whole five seconds before continuing: "...What?" Kana stands up straight again, suspiciously looking at Blaze. "Are you really my son?" Blaze rolls his eyes. "Yes. It''s my power." "Wonderful! I was just joking with you, honey!" "Right..." Blaze looks over to the knife that just fell on the floor. "Come, honey! A voidgate is opening!" "A voidgate?" Becoming an Awakened is a blessing but also a curse. In Ranas, there is a second world that exists alongside the physical one. Everyone calls it the void. The Void is an endless, chaotic dimension that is filled with unimaginable horrors. A voidgate is when a connection between the real world and the void is established. This connection does not allow for void monsters to enter the real world. However, it will suck any Awakened being inside the void. No one can escape it, and it happens in an instant. The only way to avoid it is to get out of its range of effect. Blaze and Kana both get to the living room. On the television, a reporter is delivering the news. "A new voidgate has been located. It is in Akansa and has an effective radius of thirty kilometers. Scientists have determined that this voidgate has a C-rank threat level. All D-rank and below heroes, please evacuate immediately!" A map shows up on the news, showing the detailed radius of the voidgate. Unfortunately, Blaze''s house is deep inside it with not enough time to escape. "We need to go!" Kana says. She doesn''t care if it''s too far. She must try to get her son to safety. "Too late, Mother!" Blaze raises his left hand. The flesh on it is already halfway transparent. The sign that he is being teleported inside the Void. Kana reaches out and grabs Blaze''s arm, visibly distraught. "Trust me, Mother. I will return to you in one piece." Blaze holds Kana''s hand. Blaze disappears, leaving only Kana in the living room. Chapter 5: The Void Chapter 5 - 5: The Void[New mission received: Escape the Void] Blaze''s eyes open wide. He''s lying on the floor of his familiar living room. He is still inside his house. The only weird thing is everything seems to be flipped right to left. The sofa the pig liked to sit on is supposed to be on the left side of the living room, but it is now on the right. The TV also changed its direction. The door, the windows, even the stairs leading up to Blaze''s room are on the opposite side of where they should be. Blaze stands up and carefully observes his environment. At the corner of the wall, black rot eats into the brick, and roots burst out from tiny little black holes. Tiny little blood particles are floating aimlessly in the air, almost like there is no gravity at all. In front of him, Kana turns her back to him. Her head lowers slightly, and her shoulder twitches. "Mother?" Blaze whispers. Kana''s head perks up. She slowly turns toward Blaze. The place where her face should be is now hollowed with countless teeth on its fleshy rim. Whatever it is. It is not Kana. And it lunges toward Blaze, hand reaching forward. Blaze, without hesitation, immediately flicks his hand, the Destruction Wand appears. With one swift motion, the tip now points toward the monster. Fire. Blaze thinks. A deafening roar of thunder fills the room. A lightning bolt lights up from the tip of the wand and shoots straight through the monster. Its chest is cracked into two and burns to a crisp. The split V-shaped corpse drops down to the ground, motionless. [You have gained 10 experience points!] "It rewards the same experience as an F-rank... Interesting." The kitchen door is kicked open. A figure resembling Blaze rushes out. It even wears the same clothes as him, the black shorts. Fire. He thinks. Another thunderous roar, and the entire room lights up. The monster flies backward, slamming itself on the wall and bursting into several pieces. [You have gained 10 experience points!] Blaze smiles. If the entire void only has these things, I will be an S-rank in no time. There was Kana. There was Blaze. Logically, there should be a Phuc as well. Blaze goes around the house but finds no other monster. Suddenly, an idea comes to Blaze, and he goes to the garden. The sky outside is blood red, and the moon is black as a shadow. And there it is, the brand new mound of dirt. "Hah. It is a pity I can''t kill you any more." And as if the Void hears Blaze, a rotten hand plunges out of the dirt. Black cloak materializes and covers Blaze. He equipped the Tattered Cloak and once again became the shadow being. Killing Phuc will be such a waste. He can use him to test out the limits of these monsters. One with Shadow... Blaze speaks inside his head. His entire body fuses with darkness, and his figure completely disappears from the world. What is left in his position is only emptiness. The monster resembling Phuc emerges from the ground. It looks exactly like the pig with the protruding belly and bald head. Only now, he is even more ugly with that hollow face. The monster tilts his head around but cannot locate Blaze. It begins walking aimlessly in the garden. Blaze is standing right in front of it, but it cannot see him. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Blaze then takes out the Lantern. The faint yellow light inside doesn''t seem to neutralize the Cloak''s power. Soul Flare! Blaze shouts in his head. The Lantern burns fiercely, and it produces a strong yellow light in the surrounding area. Blaze turns visible again. The monster notices him. It groans and charges at Blaze. The kid flicks his wrist to send the Lantern back to Inventory. He then takes a step back and then uses One with Shadow again. The shadow figure fades into nothingness. The monster is dumbfounded. It thrashes the surrounding plants and ground but cannot find Blaze. Blaze observes everything with a smile. Tattered Cloak is more useful than he thought. Its hidden power can be used repeatedly without restrictions. Blaze points the Destruction Want at the monster. Its tip begins to gather black energy and forms a spherical ball of darkness. The second power of the wand, Destruction Beam. Its charge-up is a big disadvantage, but Tattered Cloak helps minimize this weakness. Each second passes, and the shadow ball becomes larger and larger. In the end, it has the size of an adult''s palm. From the tip, a straight black beam of darkness bolts through the chest of Phuc, leaving a wide bloody hole. The monster drops to the ground and withers instantly like all the water in its body is vaporized, leaving a dark complexion on its skin. [You have gained 25 experience points!] Blaze''s expression is hidden by the Tattered Cloak. But if it was visible, you can see his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. The Destruction Beam didn''t just kill the target, it sucked out every living energy left in the body. Good. Now I can kill better. The clock points to midnight. [Please do not end your life when this icon appears to avoid the chance of corrupting your auto saves.] A message from the system appears along with an hourglass icon. "What is this?" Blaze mumbles. This message stays around for twenty seconds then disappears like nothing happened. Blaze is familiar with game concepts. He played a lot of them when he was younger. ''Auto save'' is a feature to help players get back to their last checkpoint if they die in the game or fail their mission. But the actual application of the auto save of the System is unknown to Blaze. "System. What is an auto save?" In contrast to his previous questions, the System does not provide an answer now. Blaze rolls his eyes and forgets about it. He has more serious matters to worry about. Now that he has the time, Blaze clicks on the new mission he has received. [Mission: Escape the Void. Mission Detail: You have been dragged into the void. Find a way to escape. 1. Escape via the Voidgate 2. (Optional) Eliminate all the power sources of the Voidgate. Progress: 0% Mission reward: Main reward: Superpower Blindbox (E-Rank) Sub reward: Equipment Blindbox (?-Rank). The quality of your sub-reward will be determined by your optional progress.] A white crescent moon appears on the face of the shadow creature. It is smiling. This mission is different from the first. Blaze now has a choice to escape the voidgate or kill all the power sources. Power sources are special monsters that fuel the connection between the worlds and create the voidgate. They are stronger than normal void monsters and much more resilient. The government of Ranas categorizes them as Crisis, dangerous enough to cause mayhem within a small town. This knowledge is taught worldwide. Blaze has dropped out of high school, but he at least knows this. To kill a Crisis, a C-rank hero or more is needed. F-rank Awakeners are completely useless. E-rank can use their power for daily comfortability. D-rank is when the power has some sort of production value. C-rank is when the Awakened has actual combat prowess that supersedes normal human capabilities. "For power, I will kill them all." He has accumulated 45 experience points from killing the three monsters. Not that much left to upgrade Force Strike. He goes out to the street of the Void. His house is on the suburban side of the city of Akansa, one of the major cities of Ranas. Akansa is located near a desert, the suburb is directly adjacent to it. Blaze''s house is literally on the borderline. Standing in front of the house, looking to the right are the towers of glass and concrete of the busy city, while looking to the left is the vast nothingness of dirt and sand. Blaze recalls the effective radius that he saw on TV. Usually the power sources will be in the middle of the radius, so he needs to go deeper into the circle. "The center point of the voidgate should be in the city." Blaze turns his back and goes in the city direction. Suddenly, he hears talking from behind. "Wait for me!" A young lady wearing a pink dress shouts out. Chapter 6: Kill your bullies Chapter 6 - 6: Kill your bulliesThe girl has black hair, a pale complexion, and a seductive vibe too soon to be present for her age. She takes off her red high heels to catch up with the young boy in front. The boy has blond, spiky hair with a large, tall frame. He wears a white tank top to clearly show his boulder-like muscles on his upper body. However, his lower body looks frail with those skinny straight legs. "Hurry up, Veronica! We need to get those Crises before anyone else. I will show everyone how strong I am!" Jake taps his huge bicep, all the dreams come true in his head. Unlimited amount of money, women beg at his feet to have sex with him. Everything seems so real right now. "Ugh! I''m wearing a dress, moron! I can''t run fast!" Veronica says. Blaze stands still and looks at them. He knows these two. They were his classmates once, when he was still going to school. However, they aren''t really friends. In contrast, Blaze deems them to be his enemy. The boy, Jake Stevens, and the girl, Veronica Birchwood, treated Blaze very badly. They were his bullies and his nightmare for many years. And for a trashy with no superpower, Blaze wasn''t able to fight back against these two ''superheroes'' at all. No one was on his side, the school, the teachers, most of his classmates, all of them were snakes. Only Alyson was different. If he remembers correctly, Veronic has an E-rank power, while Jake has a D-rank, almost reaching C-rank power. [New mission received: Kill your bullies] Oh, you understand me very well, System. The crescent moon smile appears again on his dark facade. I wonder if they will bring me experience if I kill them as well. Blaze has reasons to kill them. But he holds himself back. If he does whatever he wants, he will be no different than the people he hates. Revenge will be given. But only for those who deserve it. Blaze retreats back to his house and unequips the Tattered Cloak. He is now the skinny trash gene boy that everyone used to know. "Hey, isn''t that the house of that trashy?" Veronica says, pointing her finger. Blaze opens the door. He is still half-naked with only the black shorts on his lower body. "Yes, it is my house." A sharp "Ah!" escapes Veronica''s mouth. She quickly runs to the side of Jake and shares a despicable gaze toward Blaze. "How are you here?" Jake says. "How am I here? Because I am an Awakened, Jake. Long time no see." Blaze smirks. Jake holds his belly and laughs as hard as he can. "You? Don''t kid yourself, trashy. Trash genes like yours can never have superpowers." Veronica pulls Jake''s shirt and says: "Only Awakens are pulled inside the void, Jake. He... does have a superpower." Jake frowns, trying to wrap the truth around his head. "You were always the smart one, Veronica. And you are still dumb, Jake." Blaze approaches the two, keeping a few meters distance between them. "What did you call me?!" Jake''s face flushes red. "He called you dumb, Jake. Mess him up!" Jake tries to roll up his sleeves, but he forgets that this is a sleeveless shirt, so he rips his shirt in two. Now both young men are half-naked. Blaze tilts his head slightly, recalling the horrible things these two did to him. They always take all his lunch money, causing him to stay hungry throughout the day. Then, they always try to make fun of him. Punching and kicking were Jake''s favorite hobbies. His superpower is Super Strength so he always likes to fight. More precisely, Jake likes to beat up scrawny, weak kids like Blaze. He cannot remember how many times he was beaten, or the countless amount of bruises and injuries. It''s not like Blaze didn''t retaliate either. But the school always favors a ''superhero'' over a trash gene. Jake was the reason Blaze dropped out of high school also. The bullying was becoming so bad that Jake even threw Blaze down from the second floor. Luckily it was a small building, and the second floor wasn''t even that high. Blaze got out of it with only two broken legs. Kana had to spend a lot of money to help Blaze heal. He couldn''t do anything for months. Phuc was really mad back then and almost threw Blaze out of the house if it weren''t for her. "I believe you owe me an apology, Jake." Blaze says. "Apology? For what? Did your new superpower make you insane?" Jake shouts back, slowly stepping forward to Blaze. He tries to flex his muscle hard to appear bigger to intimidate Blaze. He always does this to other kids. And it works most of the time too. "You broke my legs. You caused me to be expelled from school. You owe me. So. Much. More. Than an apology. But I will forgive you if you apologize." Jake continues to laugh, he wipes a jerking tear off the corner of his eye. "Don''t think a trash superpower can make you one of us now, fool. You''ll be lucky if I don''t punch you right now." Veronica squints her eyes. She feels very uneasy. She knows Blaze, that boy may be trash, but he''s smart, extremely smart. Blaze won''t act like this if he isn''t sure that he can beat Jake to a pulp. "Jake... Maybe we should go. We don''t need to care about him." "Shut up, bitch! I''ll teach this sucker a lesson." Jake smashes his fists together and charges at Blaze. His skinny legs are hollowed sticks, barely able to hold up his upper body weight, now they become more flimsy than ever. Blaze simply holds out his palm and aims at Jake''s legs. A blue haze shoots out and pushes those ankles backward. Jake falls face first onto the ground, giving a satisfied loud smack. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Veronica quickly runs over. "Are you okay, Jake?" Jake pushes her away and stands up. "Telekinesis? No. Much weaker." Jake''s nose is a mess and bleeding heavily. "I''m going to kill you, fucker." Jake grabs a rock and throws it as hard as he can at Blaze. He has Super Strength but no Super Speed, Blaze easily dodges the telegraph attack of the idiot. "Apologize, Jake. I have spent months on my bed thinking about you. Anger. Hatred. Murderous intent. I experienced it all. Now I am giving you one last chance to repent. Or I. Will. Kill. You." Veronica''s face is pale like paper. She can feel the danger of the situation, the huge amount of rage inside Blaze. He will do it. "Say sorry. Jake. It''s not worth it." "I say! Shut up!" Jake growls like a beast. Veins start popping up on his skin. His huge muscles become larger and larger every second. A red mist floats around his body, it is blood evaporating from his pores. His skinny legs even grow bigger and become appropriately proportioned to his entire body. "Oh! You are fortunate, Jake. Your power isn''t D-rank at all, it''s C-rank for sure." Blaze calmly says with a light smile on his face. "I''m going to beat that smirk out of you." Saliva runs down the corner of Jake''s face. "You always have that ugly expression. Like you think you are better than us all. You are nothing more than trash!" Chapter 7: Consumables Chapter 7 - 7: ConsumablesJake rams forward. This time with an incredible speed and solid stance. Blaze''s weak E-rank Force Strike won''t be able to trip him for sure. "Hah!" Blaze smirks. He points his left arm to the roof of his house. A rope shoots out of the device on his wrist and sticks onto the house''s wall. His entire body flies away and changes, in mid-air, into the shadow figure covered in a ragged black cloak. Jake misses his target. Blaze lands gently on the house''s roof. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He speaks with the low, unsettling voice from before: "Killing you is my pleasure. I won''t say that I kill you for the greater good of all. For all those whom you wronged in the past or those whom you will wrong in the future. Although it may be true. I kill you just because I hate your fuckin'' face, Jake." The bone wand appears in Blaze''s hand, and he points it toward Jake. "Become my experience points." The entire area lights up due to the lighting. The thunder comes a second later, deafening the air. The bolt punches onto Jake in a blink of an eye and shoves him rolling on the ground. He doesn''t die though. Jake''s arm trembles when he tries to get up. His big arms are burned to a crisp, black like coal and dripping minimal blood. The lightning cauterizes his wounds so it stops the blood from overflowing. Blaze flicks the wand again. The second lightning strikes Jake right onto his chest. It sends Jake stuck to the ground, cracking the road around him. "Wait... Stop... I apo..." "It''s too late, Jake. It''s already too late." A third lightning bolt appears. Thunder roars. [You have gained 100 experience points!] Unlucky for you, Jake. You may have Super Strength but not Super Durability. Still, the Destruction Wand is supposed to kill any normal human being in one strike. His superpower may not have focused on durability, but it does extend his resiliency. Everything happens so fast. Three lightning strikes end Jake''s life. Veronica turns and runs for her life right when Jake is shoved to the ground. Her superpower is Super Speed. But she can only run as fast as a car. And not even a car''s maximum speed. Her top speed is around 40 km/h. Unfortunately, this speed is worse than having no Super Speed at all. In the day and age of cars and motorbikes, no one wants to run themselves. She isn''t even categorized as a D-rank, value for production, when there are much better, faster vehicles. She can be a quick mailman at most. Obviously, she cannot outrun lightning. Thunder roars, and Veronica drops to the ground. Blaze aims at her leg to not end her life yet. Veronica screams in pain, tears well up in her eyes, ruining her makeup. "Don''t kill me! I didn''t throw you! It was Jake. It was all Jake''s idea!" And the girl begins to beg. Jake shoots his grappling hook to the ground near her. It drags his entire body quickly to the spot, almost betraying all physical laws. Even though it is a Common item with no hidden power. It actually has some supernatural characteristics to it. Blaze thinks. None of the items of the System are actually normal. He walks slowly toward Veronica. His face is made of darkness and black smoke. "Is that so? Answer me this then. If you give me a good answer, I''ll let you live." "Of course. Ask me anything!" Though panicked, Veronica tries to cooperate as best she can. She even purposely pushes her chest together so that it seems bigger, attempting to charm Blaze. "Why did you lie?" "Lie about what?" Blaze shakes his head. "Wrong answer." Electricity bursts out from the wand and makes a mess of her head. [You have gained 25 experience points!] [Mission accomplished!] [Reward is delivered to Inventory] Blaze flicks his wrist, the Lantern of the Damned materializes. Their two yellow souls scream in agony before being sucked inside the lantern. It wasn''t just because of the injury that caused Blaze to drop out of school. They expelled him because he was ''harassing'' Veronica. A stupid and obvious lie to put the blame on him. But people don''t care about the truth. When they heard one of their high school superpower sweethearts was stalked, they immediately filled in the blank and announced Blaze as guilty. "Blaze put his hand on Veronica." "Jake saved Veronica from Blaze." "Jake is a real hero. And the trash gene Blaze is a jealous, lustful villain." His reputation was ruined to the ground. No school dared accept him even if Kana had the money. All because of one simple sentence from Veronica Birchwood. "Yes, principal. He tried to rape me. Jake appeared just in time!" Blaze squats down to see Veronica. Now that she''s dead, all that beauty she was so proud of has become useless. "Guess what, Veronica. Karma''s a bitch." Phuc was F-rank, yielding 10 experience points. Veronica was E-rank, yielding 25 experience points. Jake was C-rank, yielding 100 experience points. Plus the three hollowed monsters, Blaze has accumulated 180 points of experience. Only 20 points left to upgrade Force Strike. [Mission: Kill your bullies (Completed) Mission reward: Consumable Blindbox (Common)] Blaze pouts, feeling a bit disappointed for the low rank reward. Oh, well. The mission was way too easy. But wait a minute... The reward says ''Consumable,'' not ''Equipment.'' This is a new kind of item. Blaze opens immediately. [Opening Consumables Blindbox...] [Congratulations, you have received x30 Matchstick] [x30 Matchstick] Type: Consumable Description: Industrialized matchstick. Perfect for burning corpses. "Another bizarre item..." Blaze opens his palm, a box of matchsticks materializes into existence. It has the color yellow and a picture of a grave on it. Similar to the Grappling Hook, this item also does not have a Hidden Power. Blaze looks down at Veronica''s body and immediately ignites a match. He drops the fire stick on her. The entire body immediately burns aflame. But for some reason, it does not leave any burn marks on the road. Blaze doesn''t even feel hot from the flame. After exactly five seconds, Veronica''s entire body disintegrates. It doesn''t even leave ashes behind, everything disappears completely with the wind. Youshouldhavecometomefivehoursago... If Blaze had this matchstick, he and his mother wouldn''t need to bury that pig. Blaze then looks over to Jake''s body. Even if it''s not the real world, it is suspicious that they die at the door of Blaze''s house. "Another match for you." And Jake''s body goes back to mother nature. Then the rest of the matchsticks are stored inside the Inventory. If Blaze unequips all his items, five of the grids will be filled. The Grappling Hook, the Tattered Cloak, the Lantern of the Damned, the Destruction Wand, the Matchsticks. His limited Inventory is already half-full. He hopes there is a way to expand the Inventory eventually. Blaze fades into the darkness again and continues his journey to the heart of the city. He still needs to kill the Crises, also known as the power sources. His house is in the middle of nowhere, so there isn''t any household left between here and the city. There is a gas station, though. Blaze hopes that he finds some monsters there to get some experience. The gas station is an old structure and has existed since before the Great War. It has a cute little red rocket on top. The owner of this station is an old Awakened lady who is very kind toward Blaze and Kana. Her name is Eleanor. She has been visiting a relative of hers for a few weeks now and won''t be back until spring. Logically, Eleanor shouldn''t be dragged into the Void. Blaze reaches the gas station. There are quite a few monsters lurking around the premises of the place. Blaze can count at least five hollowed faces. While still invisible, Blaze takes out his Destruction Wand and starts blasting. The Lightning Strike causes the surrounding area to be lit up so the power of the Tattered Cloak is immediately neutralized. From a third-person view, a shadow figure appears out of nowhere with lightning shooting out of its hand. A rather terrifying view for normal people. Some may even mistake Blaze for a void monster. [You have gained 10 experience points!] [You have gained 10 experience points!] [...] These hollow-faced monsters, except for being ferocious and fearless, are nothing to worry about. A human with no superpower and no weapon may get killed by them. But with a gun, these monsters should be easily killed. [STATUS] [Name: Blaze Singer] [Power] Force Strike (E-rank): 10/200 EXP [Equipment: Grappling Hook (C), Tattered Cloak (U), Lantern of the Damned (R), Destruction Wand (R)] [Experience: 220] Blaze has enough to upgrade Force Strike. "Let''s see what a D-rank Force Strike is." Chapter 8: The Wraith Chapter 8 - 8: The Wraith"Upgrade Force Strike." [Power evolving...] [Congratulations, your Force Strike (E-rank) has evolved into Force Impact (D-rank)] [Force Impact: Your palms can shoot out a blue-colored force with enough power to shove any grown men to fall down.] Rank: D (0/500 EXP) S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Remaining Experience: 30] Muscle on Blaze''s two palms spasms uncontrollably. The fingers move on themselves into weird positions. The blue haze lights up and covers Blaze''s hand. The air surrounding him ripples slightly. Around thirty seconds pass and the effect disperses, his two palms relax and return to their normal position. There isn''t a single discomfort in the muscle. Instead, it feels fresher than ever. It''s like he just went to a massage parlor that specifically deals with hand cramps. Blaze rotates his wrist, crisp cracking sounds emit from every joint of the bones. A hollow-faced monster slaps the door of the gas station open. The noise Blaze made has drawn its attention. It wastes no time and charges at him blindly. Blaze put the bone wand away. His palms light up in blue. With one thrust forward, a blue shock wave shoots out and shoves the monster into the ground. The power of this ability has truly increased significantly. Blaze does not give it time to breathe and repeatedly thrusts his two palms, one after another. Waves of faint blue lights discharge relentlessly, a barrage of invisible force crushes the monster''s head into a puddle of blood. [You have gained 10 experience points!] It is dead, but Blaze does not stop, and he keeps going until his palms constrict and stop producing the force. Force Strike limits were five consecutive shots and a thirty seconds cool down. Force Impact is not only stronger, it has much fewer limitations as well. Blaze uses it ten times for each hand before the muscle gives out. And it takes only around twenty seconds for the palms to relax again. It may be worse than a gun, but his first superpower is actually useful now, rather than only being a cheap trick. "There''s more to it as well..." Blaze turns his palm toward a nearby metal cart. The blue force ejects continuously and pushes the cart away for a few seconds before it goes out of range. Not only does the new Force Impact have more power, it is now able to produce a steady stream of force as well. No longer limited to one short strike. Blaze restrains his excitement to pull his focus back to the matter at hand. What''s important is still experience. I won''t be able to find so many killable targets in the real world. After testing his new superpower, Blaze enters the gas station. He just wants to check if Eleanor is present. Blaze does not forget to fade into the darkness for additional safety. There''s no working light in the gas station, and the place is covered in shadow. Blaze can spot three remaining monsters inside. He wonders why there are so many here. He goes deeper inside the station, slipping through the monsters in the invisible cloak. At the back of the station is a small section where Eleanor lives. He can see lights pouring out from the glass of the door. It seems like there are people here. Blaze looks through the transparent glass. There is some girl in a red jacket sitting inside, panting heavily. There''s blood on the floor. It seems like she is injured. Blaze pushes the door open, confidently thinking that he won''t be seen. But then the girl looks up while pointing her gun toward him. There is a flashlight attached to the gun. The shadow figure manifests into existence. Its appearance is so unsettling, it makes the girl''s heart skip a beat. She pulls the trigger. Blaze is faster than her, his palm already aims toward her hand, and a blue haze thrusts forward, snapping the gun to fly away from her hand. The girl grinds her teeth, mentally ready to fight for her life. She pulls a knife out of her back. "If you don''t want to die, put that knife down." The shadow figure speaks. Its voice shakes the girl''s core. "You can talk?" The girl is visibly surprised, her hostile attitude lowers. If it isn''t one of those mindless monsters, maybe I can reason with it. She thinks. Blaze does not answer and tilts his head to observe the scene behind her. A police officer in uniform with a bloody injury on his belly. He has been dead for a while, and the puddle of blood is from him. Blaze actually knows the guy. Dominic Renly. An Awakened with an actual heart. He was a good cop, always trying to be just and helpful around the neighborhood. He prevented Phuc from hitting Kana a few times when they were in public together. Others didn''t care if the sufferers were trashies. But he did. "You killed him?" The black cloak swirls intensely to match Blaze''s emotion, anger. "No! I tried to save him!" Blaze calms down and observes more closely. There are bandages on Dominic''s wound and all sorts of medical supplies on the ground. Her hands are covered in blood, but that''s probably because she tried to help. There isn''t any sign of struggling, either. She is probably telling the truth. A pitiful sigh comes out of the shadow figure. A good man but dies so soon. The girl can actually feel the figure''s sorrow. This puzzles her to a great extent. "What''s your power?" "Precision Aim... D-rank. It helps me aim. I''m very good with a gun." The girl in the red jacket has brown hair and a round baby face that makes her look very naive. But those eyes are fierce and restless, creating a contrast to her very own being. A somewhat attractive trait, to be honest. It''s like the face of a baby doll but the intention of a warrior. "Is there anyone left in the building?" "No. There''s only me and Dominic. We tried to get out, but there are a lot of them outside." "Right. I''ll take care of them. After everything calms down, you can go out." Blaze has confirmed that Eleanor isn''t here. He has no other reason to stay. Blaze turns to walk away. "Wait!" But the voice of the girl pulls him back. "What are you?" Well. I can''t tell her I''m a sixteen year old boy looking like this. "I''m the Wraith." "I''m June. June Richmond!" "Richmond? Are you related to Eleanor?" "You know my aunt?" "You could say so." Better not say anything more... Blaze leaves to take care of the remaining three monsters. A fat woman, a tall guy, and a middle-aged man. Images of real people distorted into the hollowed monsters. Blaze pulls out his wand and with three Lightning Strikes, decimates them in a blink of an eye. [You have gained 10 experience points!] [You have gained 10 experience points!] [You have gained 10 experience points!] Blaze wastes no more time and leaves the gas station. Continues his journey into the city. June runs out immediately to find the creature, but it has already disappeared from existence. No figure can be seen around this lonely gas station. "Wraith! Where are you?" June shouts, but no one answers her. Chapter 9: Kill them all Chapter 9 - 9: Kill them allBlaze steps foot inside the city. Countless hollow-faced monsters shamble on the streets. Blaze isn''t even sure how many are there. Even though the news recommended minimum C-rank superheroes to combat this voidgate. Blaze thinks a lone C-rank wouldn''t even stand a chance confronting this horde. This will need a group of powerful C-rank heroes in order to clean them all. B-rank heroes may even have a hard time dealing with the horde. Maybe A-rank or above can easily wipe out these monsters. But Blaze isn''t worried. On the contrary, he is extremely exciting. The kid licks his lip, which shows as a red, bloody tongue sticking out of the shadowy face. It looks very grotesque in a way. Luckily, he is in invisible mode. So even the monsters didn''t have the pleasure to witness it. All of them are my experience points now! Blaze shoots the Grappling Hook onto the roof of a high building. It pulls him to it. Even though the hook is only attached to Blaze''s wrist. When he is pulled, there is some kind of invisible force carrying his whole body forward. Which prevents humiliating situations like his entire arm getting ripped off. Blaze stands on the roof of a three story tall building. There aren''t any monsters on the roof, and from here, Blaze can have a clear bird''s eye view of all the creatures down there. Blaze pulls out the Destruction Wand and starts blasting. Lightning calls and thunder roars. A monster is blasted to death by an incredible amount of electricity. [You have gained 10 experience points!] A minimal amount, but there are a lot of them for Blaze to kill. He flicks his wand again, and another lightning strike occurs. [You have gained 25 experience points!] This one brings more points. Its counterpart must also be an F-rank Awakened like Phuc. And more lightning strikes appear. [You have gained 10 experience points!] [You have gained 10 experience points!] [You have gained 25 experience points!] [...] Blaze shoots to his heart''s content. And for the first time, he learns the limit of the Destruction Wand. After exactly twelve Lightning Strikes, the Wand stops producing electricity and lets out a disappointing charging sound. The monsters are provoked. They charge toward Blaze. They are mindless, but they know how to climb. The horde of endless monsters ascends to the roof of the building. But when they reach there, Blaze is no longer to be seen. Luckily, they don''t know how to use a flashlight, so he can just fuse with the darkness and then use the Grappling Hook to reposition to another rooftop. After exactly ten seconds, the Wand returns to normal and is ready to be fired again. Hah! A twelve shots limit and a ten seconds cool-down. The wand is too similar to a handgun. Well... I did wish for a handgun in the beginning. Blaze is once again manifested into existence, and lightning continues to roar. [You have gained 25 experience points!] [You have gained 25 experience points!] [You have gained 10 experience points!] [...] With each strike, a monster drops down, burns as a coal and splits into pieces due to the giant force of lightning. They drop like ants, one after another, fueling Blaze''s experience. Whenever the wand needs to recharge, Blaze turns invisible and repositions himself to another safe rooftop. He repeats this process again and again. Until all the visible monsters are disintegrated into ashes. Lightning strikes the area so much that every superhero around can hear it. Their attention is drawn. At a place not too far from here, Preston turns toward the area. The sky at that place lights up after each lightning strike. Which makes people wonder what''s going on over there. Preston presses on his earpiece. "Are there any electrokinesis users registered in the area?" "There aren''t, Captain!" A voice answers him. In the sky, a woman is floating. Wind blows over her white hair. She wears a tight spandex suit in black and white. On her eyes are white-colored goggles. The unrelenting lightning strikes interest her. A power with this much stamina must be at least B-rank. Whoever that hero is, he can help her get rid of the Crises. In the opposite area of Blaze''s location, the part of town where his old school resides. A group of young men and women, who are in fabulous suits and dresses, also hear the lightning. A girl, with two black lines of messed-up mascara on her face, speaks up: "It must be a hero! We should go to him!" "We are all superheroes, Nancy." "Why do you even know it''s a guy? It may be a woman." "Alright, everyone, shut up! Arguing won''t solve anything." A tall, handsome young man says. His name is Henry Colson, president of the student council of Akansa High School, Blaze''s former school. Tonight is prom night, and most of the students of the school wear their best outfits to go out with their prom dates. That is why everyone looks so good right now. In the corner of the hall, a red-haired girl leans her back onto the wall with her arms crossed, silently observing the classmates. She''s the only one who wears casual clothes. "We need to find the void gate and get out of here. The Hollow can only be F-rank or lower. But there are many. None of us stands a chance alone outside. Not to mention the Crises, which can be even stronger. We need to stick together and go to voidgate." Henry says. "Speak for yourself, Henry. Only these poor low ranks have problems surviving. I can just fly out of here right now." A male student with long hair speaks out. His name is William D''Angelo. Standing with William is a group of students who wear gothic-style clothes. They are famous in Akansa High and call themselves the Nocturnal Animals. Their members have at least a C-rank or higher power. "If you want to go, then go, William. It is my responsibility as the president to protect our students." "Suit yourself." William shrugs. He and his group left. "Alright. Now, if there''s no one else that wants to leave. Here is what we are going to do..." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The red-haired girl in the corner has already left. [Experience points: 2470] Black, burnt corpses are lying in every corner of the streets. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air. Blaze emptied a dozen or more ''magazines'' to clean out this mess. There actually weren''t that many monsters as Blaze thought. The actual number is around 150 or more. Blaze stops counting after the hundred one. Also, there aren''t any E-rank monsters at all. The strongest only yield 25 experience points, which are equivalent to F-rank monsters. Blaze thinks this is probably because of the characteristics of this void layer. The Void has many layers, and each has its own traits. Blaze didn''t study about it, though, so he doesn''t know much about the layers. Note to self: Learn more about the void when I come back. His right hand shakes slightly and is extremely fatigued from handling all the recoil the lightning creates. The Lightning Strike actually creates a repulsive force that resembles a gun. It roars loudly whenever shot, has a maximum capacity of twelve shots, and has recoil. This wand really is a gun in disguise... Blaze fuses with darkness again and finds a secluded building to hide in. He has had enough experience points to upgrade his power again. Chapter 10: Force Blast Chapter 10 - 10: Force BlastAfter making sure the area is secured, Blaze hides in a room and starts spending his experience points. "Upgrade Force Impact!" [Power evolving...] [Congratulations, your Force Impact (D-rank) has evolved into Force Blast (C-rank)] [Force Blast: Your palms can shoot out a bright blue pulse that visibly distorts the surrounding air. Its power is enough to send a grown man flying.] Rank: C (0/2000 EXP) [Remaining Experience: 1970] Bright blue light shoots out from Blaze''s arms. His hands start convulsing and vibrating uncontrollably. A sharp pain runs through his bone. Blaze clenches his teeth and endures the feeling. This evolution is much more devastating to his body than the last. It takes even more time. Blaze thought it would be over in a minute, but it keeps going after two. He kneels down to the ground, breathes heavily but doesn''t make a sound. He has gone through many hardships and pains. This simple obstacle won''t make him squeal even one sound. Five minutes pass, and his body finally calms down. The scrawny looking arms are now much more defined with visible muscle lines. Blaze stays still, letting his body recover and calming his breathing. [STATUS] [Name: Blaze Singer] [Species: Human] [Age: 16] [Attributes] Strength - 6 (+2) Stamina - 5 Agility - 6 Dexterity - 3 Perception - 5 Endurance - 7 [Power] Force Blast (C-rank): 0/2000 EXP [Equipment: Grappling Hook (C), Tattered Cloak (U), Lantern of the Damned (R), Destruction Wand (R)] [Experience: 1970] Blaze clenches his fist and flexes his right arm, revealing a nice round biceps. He looks like he lifted weights for at least a few weeks. A few minutes ago it was only bone with meat. "So this is the benefit of a C-rank superpower." Blaze extends his arm forward, a bright blue light shoots out from his palm and breaks through the brick wall, leaving a hand-shaped hole. He then points the palm downward, releasing a continuous stream of force. The blue pulse digs out a hole and keeps drilling down to the ground. Blaze closes his palm and ends the power early. The hole was getting pretty deep, almost five meters, and had no sign of stopping. Blaze already understands the grasp of his power, so he doesn''t need to continue. The new Force Blast has enough power to break walls and dent metal. It is also able to maintain for as long as Blaze''s stamina can endure. It now reaches the realm of ''super'' in the word superpower, no longer just a special ability that is somewhat useful. Pity. If there were three more monsters, I may be able to upgrade it to B-rank straight away. He is only 30 experience points short of upgrading Force Blast. It shouldn''t be a problem. There are still the Crises waiting for me to kill. Once again equipping the Tattered Cloak, Blaze fades into darkness and leaves the building. He uses the Grappling Hook to traverse from rooftop to rooftop. Staying high is a better option, as Blaze can have a larger view of the area. He really has decimated this layer of the Void. Not even one hollow-faced monster is seen walking around. Blaze shows no disappointment and keeps going forward to the center. His goals are the Crises. Back in the main street, a group of people with brown uniforms appears. They are led by Preston. Preston squats down to examine the corpse of the Hollow more closely. Its flesh is burned, and its body is torn. This was no mere electric pulse, it had the power of a true lightning strike. "This is at least a C1, maybe even B-rank power." Preston says. From C-rank and above, each rank is separated into five smaller levels, from five to one. C5 is the weakest of the C-rank, while C1 is the strongest. Based on the power of the electric current, whoever killed these Hollows has a maximum C3 rank. But there are at least 200 bodies here. The sheer amount and stamina needed to complete this task is no joke. Which bumps Preston''s final rating of the superbeing to C1 or B. A masked woman steps forward. "Do you think they are an enemy, Captain?" "It''s hard to say..." "Captain Preston of the Liberty Sons. What an honor." A voice comes down from above. The group immediately turns toward the voice, ready for battle. Preston squints his eyes, observing the woman with white hair. He''s trying to remember who she is. White hair with a black and white uniform with flying ability... "C-rank hero, the Pale Harpy?" Preston says. "Please, Captain. You can call me Harpy." "You''re interested in the electrokinesis user?" "I am, Captain. There aren''t many B-rank heroes in Akansa, you know. He can help end this nightmare soon." Preston shakes his head. "We don''t know if he''s a hero. There are no registered heroes who control lightning a hundred miles around here." "You''re saying that they may be a supervillain?" Preston nods. "The more reasons for us to find them then. Before he got his hands on our precious heroes." Harpy smiles wickedly. Blaze reaches his former school. He has no idea that it will be so soon for him to return to this place. It was only a year ago that he was still a student of Akansa High. Oh, memories... The place was awful for trashies, but at least he made a friend here. The center area is here, the Crises should be around somewhere. Blaze shoots the Grappling Hook to the ground from the roof where he is standing now. If he jumps down, he will fall down to his death. But if he uses the Grappling Hook, he will fall down with the same speed he got pulled up by it. Still, all physical laws are betrayed by this item. Blaze safely lands on the ground. He walks to the side of the school, purposefully avoiding it. The school houses the most promising future superheroes, there will definitely be his old classmates there. Not many treated him well, but no one is near as bad as Veronica and Jake. They don''t deserve to die. Thus, they yield no experience points. They are useless to Blaze. But the system tells him otherwise. [New mission received: Kill the Nocturnal Animals] "What the?" Blaze knows this group. They are a group of teenage superheroes that are rather famous. They have their own TV show and were interviewed on an official news channel. The school board even commended them for their bravery once. However, this group has no feud with Blaze. There is absolutely no reason for him to kill them. "You better not force me into a mindless killing machine, System. I am not that kind of man." Blaze clicks on the new mission. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Mission: Kill the Nocturnal Animals. Mission Detail: Alyson is in danger. The Nocturnal Animals have cornered her. Their intentions are impure. 1. Kill all the members of the Nocturnal Animals (0/4) 2. (Optional) Prevent Alyson from being kidnapped Mission reward: Main reward: Equipment Blindbox (Rare) Sub reward: Superpower Blindbox (B-rank)] Blaze''s expression darkens. At the back gate of Akansa High, four emo kids cornered the red-haired girl. The redhead is Alyson Aldrin, the only friend Blaze had while he was attending Akansa High. Surrounding her are the Nocturnal Animals, led by William D''Angelo. "I told you. I am not interested." Alyson yells out. Her teeth grow long and sharp. Whiskers appear on her face. Her red hair blossoms into a lion''s mane. "Oooh!" William pretends to shiver due to fear. "I''m so scared." Alyson growls back. "The Lioness. Hah!" William smirks. "Get the fuck out of my way!" Alyson grinds every word out of her mouth. "Come on, girl! Whatchu doin''?" William sarcastically says. "I''m giving you an opportunity here. You never have to work another day for your life, girl." "Leave me alone!" Chapter 11: The Nocturnal Animals Chapter 11 - 11: The Nocturnal AnimalsIn the far distant land of memories, on the rooftop of the school. Jake kicked the hamburger out of Blaze''s hand and then followed it with a punch to his gut. Blaze went flying, sliding on the floor a few meters before stopping dead. He curled up, holding his stomach in pain. Tears welled up in his eyes, but Blaze held on so they didn''t spill out. He swore to not be weak in front of them. "Where''s your lunch money, huh? You thought that if you didn''t bring money, we were going to leave you alone, huh?" Jake said, continuing to kick Blaze while he''s down. With superpowers, his strength was not that of a regular teenager. Each felt like a baseball bat hit at Blaze. Veronica came over and slapped Blaze in the face. "Remember to bring money tomorrow, trashy!" The girl yelled at him. Suddenly, a fist thrust from nowhere and landed on Veronica''s pretty face. She went rolling on the ground. Jake was enraged but met him was a kick straight to his jaw. The impact hurled Jake flying to the wall, next to Veronica. Standing there was Alyson with her blossom lion mane. It was magnificent under the sunlight, fearless like a true lion. "You?" Jake groaned. "Fuck off!" Alyson simply said. Jake picked Veronica up, and the two quickly scattered from the scene. Back then, Jake''s power was only D-rank. He was no match for a true C-rank like Alyson. He ran away fearfully like a coward he truly was. Alyson squatted down by Blaze''s side. She gently reached her hand out to help him. But Blaze slapped her hand away. "I don''t need your pity, Awakened!" Blaze screamed. Alyson sighed and sat down next to him. She gently put her palm on Blaze''s shaking back. "I don''t pity you, Blaze." Suddenly, she dragged him over and hugged him tightly. "I am your friend. And friends help each other." Blaze didn''t resist and let her do whatever she wanted. He just lay there, motionless. Everything was falling down on him. It had become too much to bear. And right then, he just needed a moment of peace. Alyson rubbed his hair gently. "You are one of the smartest people I ever knew, Blaze. You can learn everything in an instant. You were fearless even in front of stronger people than you. You are destined for greatness, Blaze." Blaze''s breathing calmed down. He lifted his head to meet her. Their faces are so close together that they can even smell each other''s breath. Alyson''s face flushed red. The Lioness that everyone feared was then just a shy little girl. "It doesn''t matter, Alyson. I don''t have power." Alyson smiles and touches his face. They can feel each other''s pulses. "I don''t think power should be what measures the worth of a man. It is the content of his character. And you, Blaze Singer, are one hell of a man." Present day. "Keeps her alive is enough." Williams says. "Don''t we need to preserve the merchandise, boss?" "As long as she isn''t dead, we can even chop all her limbs off." William shares a sadistic smile. His allies, all three males, laugh in unison. One floats to the air, his limbs dissolve into a mini cyclone that revolves around his body. The second takes out a plastic bottle and splashes water on his right fist. The water moves like it has a mind, clinging to his fist and forming an ice sword sticking out of his knuckles. Another slams his forearms together. Pieces of ground around him shoot up and stick to his body, making an armor made out of dirt and rocks. Alyson roars as loud as she can, hoping the noise will reach the other. "It''s useless." Cyclone man says. "I sucked out all the air surrounding us. No air, no transmitter, no sound escape." Specifically, he created a sphere that isolated the air outside from inside. The people inside the sphere can hear each other, but they cannot hear outside. This principle applies the same way for the other side, no sound from the inside can penetrate to the outside. Alyson turns her back and runs as fast as she can. Cyclone man waves his hand and blows a strong wind to slow her down. Ice man jumps forward and thrusts the ice sword into her back. "Careful, though! Avoid critical points to not kill her!" William shouts from the side. Ice man adjusts his sword to aim slightly downward and sinisterly points at her bottom. Alyson spins back and kicks the sword away. Ground man comes from the side and rams her ribcage. Alyson screams out in pain and is knocked flying. Ice man keeps a close distance. His ice sword turns soft and becomes a spike whip. Ice man lashes onto Alyson while she''s still in mid-air. She falls to the ground, blood on her hip. Alyson holds the pain and gets up immediately. She keeps trying to run away. "Wow! She''s tough!" Ice man says. "That''s why she''s valuable!" Cyclone man says. "The plaything needs to have a bit of resilience, you know. Otherwise they will all break in seconds in front of our customers." Ground man chases Alyson and charges at her again. She uses four legs to jump up, almost reaching three meters in height. But then cyclone man blasts her down, which causes her to be shoved directly at ground man. Alyson falls to the ground again. This time most of her ribcage has been broken. Bones caves inside her own flesh and stabs at her own lung. A gurgling cough ripped from her throat. Then blood spurts out from her mouth, spilling over her red lips. She convulses involuntarily due to the pain, but it only causes the bones to twist and carves out her flesh more. She can''t breathe properly. Her vision is filled with red. Her lion mane retracts to its original hairstyle. The whiskers disappear. William walks over with hands in his pocket. He soccer kicks Alyson in the face and sends her to sleep. "You shouldn''t have resisted." William shakes his head. He takes out a small metal device and drops it on Alyson. It turns into a mechanical bug and attaches itself to Alyson''s skin. William holds a red trigger in his hand, controlling the bug. "Stop!" A hoarse voice fills the space. The Animals look over to the side. A strange shadow figure who wears a black cloak. William keeps looking while pressing down on the trigger. A white light covers Alyson, and she disappears. It is advanced teleportation technology. [Optional objective failed] [Sub reward has been deducted from the mission] "You''ve made a mistake." Blaze doesn''t raise his voice. He doesn''t even flinch. There''s only a cold, razor sharp feel in his tone. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Tell me now where you have taken her, and you may live. Refuse to cooperate, and I will kill you. And I will burn your soul for eternity more." William lets out a high-pitched, almost childlike laugh. He shows too many teeth. His shoulders shake, and his eyes are fixed on Blaze like he is a joke. "The fuck do you think you are? Grim reaper? Get out of here before we kill you." Blaze inhales slowly through his nose, something in him has snapped. Chapter 12: Your soul is mine Chapter 12 - 12: Your soul is mineThe shadow figure fades into the darkness, leaving nothing left but his voice. "You will die by my hand..." Ground man stomps the ground, a large piece of rock flies up. He punches the boulder and blasts it to Blaze''s original position but hits nothing but air. "Invisibility?" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. William says. "Show yourself, coward!" "You are the coward here." Blaze''s voice echoes through the space, it comes from everywhere, making it hard to pinpoint his location. The group stands close, back to back, so they can observe all directions. William is still confident as always, standing alone with hands in his pocket. He scans the environment, hoping to hear the faint sound of footsteps. But there is no sound but the creepy, unsettling voice. "Where is she?" Ground man throws many more boulders to the surrounding area, but none hit a target. "What the? Can you feel him in the air, Felix?" Ground man shouts. Felix is the man with cyclone power. He answers: "No... Not even in the thirty meters radius. It''s like he evaporated from this world." Ice man''s right hand is shaking. His other hand holds onto a pendant on his necklace. The guy is obviously religious. "May the Father above protect me from this evil spirit." Ice man''s voice trembles. William laughs. "The fuck are you saying? Isaac, bro... Don''t let a nobody scare you." Isaac doesn''t answer. His face is pale as paper. He has seen similar figures in the holy scriptures, the dark spirit who comes for vengeance and takes the sinner to hell. Isaac knows that he is guilty. He has done many wrong things and dragged many people to misery. All for his own benefit and selfishness. "May God protect me from this evil spirit. I have sinned. I was wrong. But please let me repent, God. Don''t let this spirit take me!" Isaac''s feet shift in tiny, frantic movements. He can''t calm down. "Watch your boy, Dylan. He is scared shitless." William says. Ground man, Dylan, looks over to Isaac. Before he can say anything, a black beam flies over his head, leaving a shrieking sound in the air. The Destruction Beam hits Felix, the cyclone man, who is still hovering in the air. The dark beam pierces through his chest and keeps blasting toward the sky and disappears. "Ugh..." Felix looks down at his chest. A giant hole carves into his ribcage, exposing the flesh and blood inside. His power gives out and his limbs return to normal. Felix slams on the ground. His entire body withers in seconds. His skin becomes grey as a dead tree, and his black tongue sticks out of his mouth. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [Kill all the members of the Nocturnal Animals (1/4)] The group gasps. "Felix!" Dylan, the ground man, screams out in anger and despair. "I kill you! I kill you, bastard! Where are you? Where are you?" William''s expression turns serious. He stomps his feet to the ground, fire sets ablaze around them. He jumps up, the fire shoots out of his legs and keeps him floating. He executed a flawless spin kick in the air, sending a fireball from his leg to the source of the beam. The Destruction Beam didn''t reveal Blaze because it is also darkness. But the light from the fire causes Blaze to materialize. He shoots the Grappling Hook to another building, dodging the fireball. He turns invisible again in mid-air. William spins wildly, sending several more fireballs from his feet to the shadow figure, but he dodges them all and disappears from existence again. "Face me, fucker. Don''t hide!" William shouts. He keeps sending fireballs to places where Blaze was last seen, but none reveal him. Blaze has safely repositioned to a completely different direction thanks to the Grappling Hook. He lifts his wand again, pointing it to Dylan, the ground man. The Nocturnal Animals are all C-rank heroes. They are professional and have experience in combat, not useless like the loser Jake. Thus, Blaze uses the Destruction Beam to make sure they are dead. He only needs William alive. The rest can die. "Face despair. Face fear. Face it for all your sins." Blaze''s voice echoes in the area. William groans in helplessness. With all his power, he can''t even locate the enemy. The only one who can do that, Felix, is already a stone cold corpse. They can''t win. "Retreat!" William shouts. "Run to Henry!" William despises the man with all his being, but he cannot deny that Henry is the most powerful in the school. Only he can save them from this freak. They all turn and run toward the school grounds. But thirty seconds have passed. Another black beam screams and shoots at Dylan. Isaac falls to his knee. The ice sword completely disintegrates, he holds the pendant with both of his hands, shaking profusely. "May God above protect me from this evil spirit! I know..." "Useless bastard!" Dylan shouts, he ducks behind Isaac, hoping his body will block the attack and allow him time to escape. The black beam sharply turns, it zigzags over Isaac and pierces through Dylan''s skull. It doesn''t stop and keeps on going through the ground, digging out a deep hole. Dylan''s lifeless corpse hits the ground. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [Kill all the members of the Nocturnal Animals (2/4)] Blaze materializes before the naked eye. He looks down at the kneeling Isaac. The boy is terrified to the soul, having no fighting spirit left. What a despicable sight. Just a moment ago you acted so strong before Alyson. The Lantern of the Damned appears in Blaze''s hand. On Dylan''s corpse, his soul comes into existence and lets out a deafening scream before being sucked into the lantern. Felix''s soul also flies over and joins the poor prisoners in the lantern. Isaac drops his pendant on the ground. The evil spirit just took his friend''s souls and is about to take him too. This is no mere superbeing. This is a demon. "Please, please, please..." He curls into a ball, arms over his head, voice shrill and broken. Snot and tears smear across his face as he is repeating the same word. "Your soul is mine." The unsettling voice speaks. Blaze points his palm to the back of his head. A blue stream of light shoots out and crushes it to a puddle. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [Kill all the members of the Nocturnal Animals (3/4)] Then, Isaac joins their allies as a poor lost soul inside the lantern. William runs fast. He doesn''t even look back. But he can hear all the sounds of his friend dying and begging. Sweat rolls down on his face, and his heart beats like a drum. He hasn''t been this scared for a while. He hasn''t been this helpless since he became the leader of the Nocturnal Animals. And he has never thought that he will face consequences when he chooses this path. Everyone does it. Everyone is corrupted. So what I''m doing isn''t wrong. Unlucky for him, retribution has arrived. Thunder roars, and his back feels like burning. William hits the ground and rolls uncontrollably. Black smoke comes out of his feet but not flame. The fire has left him and will not return. Then there is the sound of the rope pulling. A shadow covers his entire body. William looks up, and there it is, the figure with no face, only darkness on its head. Blaze raises his palm. Another Force Blast to the chest of the leader of the Nocturnal Animals. A visible palm engraves on William''s chest, the sound of bones breaking satisfyingly emits. William coughs up blood. "Don''t kill me! You want to save the girl, yeah? I can help you!" Right then, people arrive. The Pale Harpy and the Liberty Sons show up. They heard the noise and came to investigate. Accompanying them, there is also the president of the student council, Henry Colson. "Stop right there!" Preston shouts, aiming a weird looking rifle at Blaze. The Pale Harpy stretches her arm, white feathers made out of pure energy appearing around her, they are sharper and tougher than steel. Henry is the only one standing still, with no action nor words. William laughs. He looks at the figure directly, no longer fearing death. He knows it will not kill him. Because killing him means it can never find Alyson. The Liberty Sons and the Pale Harpy will also not let it take him away. I am now safe. William thinks to himself. Chapter 13: Soul Slave Chapter 13 - 13: Soul SlaveBlaze tilts his head slightly, observing the little man on the ground. You think you got away, don''t you... Blaze steps back into the darkness behind, and he disappears from existence. "That''s what I thought!" William loudly says. He gets up, all the flesh and muscle on his back scream out in pain. He did get shot directly by lightning. The skin on it is burned like charred coal, the smell of burning flesh is everywhere. William holds the pain inside and tries to act like it''s no big deal. "Who was that?" The entire body of Henry blinks. He suddenly appears beside William, which causes him to jump up a little. William acts like nothing bothers him, but he is seriously spooked by whatever that thing is. Henry smiles. William swears there is contempt hiding somewhere in that curved mouth. "I don''t know what it is. It just came out of nowhere and attacked us." Henry stares at William. He obviously does not believe even a single word. Preston takes a look at William''s back. "This is definitely the same one that killed all those Hollows." The Pale Harpy lands near him and says: "Why do you think it left? It may be able to take on all of us." Preston shakes his head. "Not quite. The Hollows back there were nothing more but mindless zombies. Killing them is different than taking on all of us." Suddenly, a black beam fires towards William. It comes from the rooftop of the far building opposite of them. William grinds his teeth, his feet set ablaze again. "Damn you! Why don''t you give up?!" William flies up and uses all his power to get away. Fire bursts out of his feet like a rocket engine, pushing him away at an admirable speed. But the black beam is faster. In the blink of an eye, it almost reaches William and is only about three meters away from him. Henry blinks again, appearing in front of the black beam. His right hand curls into a fist, the veins on it start popping on the skin, and muscle grows two to three times bigger. He punches forward. All the air in front becomes condensed, then an incredible surge of shockwaves shoots forward. A mini tornado is created just because of Henry''s punch. The black beam turns sharply, gets over Henry''s attack and him, continuing to chase William. Under the goggles, the Pale Harpy''s eyebrows shot up. She''s both scared of and impressed by the figure''s power. The costumed heroine raises her hand, energy feathers materialize and dart toward the beam, hoping to stop it in its tracks or slow it down. The beam zigzags over all the feathers and finds its target. It hasn''t slowed down even for a single bit. Death finds William. The beam shoots up from below and pierces through his groin, coming straight out of his head. The fiery feet give out and turn to black smoke. His entire body slams to the ground, flesh bursting and bone breaking. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [Mission accomplished!] S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Your reward is delivered to Inventory] "What a terrifying power..." The Pale Harpy mumbles. Color has left her face, leaving only dread. If it was her, she would have been dead also. Preston aims his gun toward the rooftop. The gun shines a crimson red color, pure energy pours out of him and into the gun. His face flushes red, and veins bulge on his temple. "You will pay for this, bastard!" Henry appears before him and grabs the gun barrel, lowering it down. "Don''t get yourself killed, sir." An invisible enemy that has the power of shooting a homing beam that can kill you in one shot. Its power may not be B-rank, but even B-rank is afraid of it. Preston controls his breathing, trying to calm down. Everyone looks over to the rooftop afar. The figure is visible, its Tattered Cloak blowing in the wind. It has no face, only darkness. In its hand rises a lantern with yellow light. The dead William screams in despair, pure yellow energy is being sucked out of him and turns into a yellow fireball. His soul flies toward the creature and is now trapped inside the lantern. "You think you can escape me?" Blaze observes William''s soul. Without hesitation, he burns the soul, letting it dive into endless, unimaginable pain. Killing William right then and there would have been dangerous for Blaze. The brown-uniformed man held a freaking large gun, there was actually a superhero in costume, and there was also Henry. If Blaze proceeded and took his life, he wasn''t sure he could get out of it alive. ''One with Shadow'' is a useful power. But that is because no one has found out its gimmick yet. It can''t guarantee Blaze''s escape. So he did the most reasonable thing. He faded into darkness and charged the Destruction Wand. William thought he had an upper hand because if he died, Blaze couldn''t find Alyson. Unfortunately for him, Blaze''s grasp can reach far over the realm of the living. The sound of William''s scream is devastating and haunting. A cold shiver runs down Pale Harpy''s spine. "What kind of power is that?" She says. "It looks like..." "It took his soul." Preston grinds his teeth, angrily looking at Blaze. Henry is indifferent, he obviously doesn''t care if William is suffering. The image of the Wraith engraves itself into the memories of the people present. An illusive spirit of hell holding its captives'' souls in a lantern. And then the light of the lantern disappears. Darkness swallows the figure whole, leaving nothing but emptiness. [Current experience points: 2370] [New reward: Equipment Blindbox (Rare)] Blaze has enough experience to upgrade Force Blast again. He also has a new equipment chest. And Alyson is missing. Blaze needs to hurry up, getting stronger quickly to save his only friend. Blaze finds a secure place to turn visible again. He takes out the lantern. William''s complete soul is inside. If there is a way to imprison him, there must also be a way to release him. His soul holds all the secrets to Alyson''s whereabouts. Blaze tries to connect with the Lantern mentally. It has always responded to him this way. The Lantern radiates intense yellow light. Not the light of a soul burning but completely something else. It reaches into Blaze, penetrating the Tattered Cloak he is wearing. The light goes inside Blaze''s eyes and mouth, touching his very soul. [Lantern of the Damned is bound to you!] [The item can now no longer be stored in Inventory] [New Hidden Power unlocked!] [A prior Hidden Power has changed!] [Lantern of the Damned] - Equipment Rank: Ultra Rare - Hidden Power: Soul Reaper (change from Soul Reap); Soul Flare; Soul Slave. - Soul Reaper: You can collect the souls of those you have wronged. You can also examine, consume, release, or enslave your trapped souls. - Soul Flare: You can burn the souls you have collected, causing them more suffering even in death. The light they produced automatically dispels all illusion or magical darkness. - Soul Slave: Once enslaving a soul, you can grant it a body of your choosing. This body materializes into the real world and interacts with the physical realm. Maximum soul slave: 0/1 Chapter 14: Sun Bird Chapter 14 - 14: Sun BirdAfter a while, Blaze returns to normal. He lets out a long, hot breath. Yellow smoke releases from his mouth. He opens his palm. The soul of William flies out of the Lantern. Suddenly, two yellow irises, bright as flashlights, appear on Blaze''s shadowy face. The power of the Lantern penetrates the appearance Tattered Cloak created and shows Blaze''s true eyes, now with a haunting yellow beam shot out of his pupil. The lights from his eyes search deep inside the soul of William. This is a process of examining a soul. Originally Blaze only thought that he would collect William''s soul and then torture him by Soul Flare to let him talk. The only problem is he needs to figure out how to take a soul out of the Lantern. Now, he has a much better, simpler option. A few minutes go by, and memories of William show up in Blaze''s mind like he''s watching a movie. How William was raised. How he awakened. How he lost hope in the integrity of men and fell down to depravity. And there it is, what Blaze is looking for. There was a man, muscular in shape, with a face full of beard and a large moon tattoo on his left chest. "You know Alyson Aldrin?" The large man said. His name was Nadyr Brozovic. "The Lioness? I don''t know her personally. What''s up?" William answered the man. "She''s valuable. Get her, and I will make sure you get a serum." "You don''t have to tell me twice!" William laughed greedily. Blaze stops the examination, his bright yellow eyes turn back to normal. Darkness filled his face again. He throws William inside the Lantern and burns his soul. Now that he has much more control over the Lantern, he can make sure William is always suffering without actually destroying his souls. For all those lives he has ruined, this is merely a suitable punishment. He who has sinned will now burn for eternity more to atone for his crime. That is Blaze''s judgement. The future of all those he destroys. All their pain and desperation. If Blaze is capable, he would have let William feel the pain and despair of those he has wronged. Instead, he''s just going to be burned for eternity. Blaze has seen everything he needs. The Nocturnal Animals, a group of teenage superheroes, were nothing more than a facade. What they actually do is lure naive, unsuspecting young female Awakeners and kidnap them. It is hard to find a good lover in this world due to the variety of powers. A person with power of A or B rank can easily kill their partner of C rank and lower during sex. When you''re excited, your control over your power loosens and can cause unforeseeable catastrophe. This is one of the reasons why power ranking is so important and the Awakened despise taking a lover who is lower rank than them. A low rank can''t satisfy their needs. And when there exists the demand, there will be supplies. High-rank power is hard to capture. But low-rank power that emphasizes durability and strength can also satisfy the demand. So people like Alyson, who only have C-rank power, are the perfect targets. Based on William''s memories, Blaze only has a maximum of 96 hours to save Alyson... before he can never find her again. [New mission received: Kill Nadyr Brozovic. Mission Detail: Nadyr Brozovic, an important link behind the Nocturnal Animals'' superbeing-trafficking enterprise. He holds the information of Alyson''s whereabouts. 1. Kill Nadyr Brozovic 2. (Optional) Save Alyson before it''s too late 3. (Optional) Rescue all the girls he has been holding Mission reward: Main reward: Superpower Blindbox (B-rank) Sub reward: Consumables Blindbox (?-rank)] The goal is simple. Attack their base of operation, kill Nadyr and save Alyson before it''s too late. But this isn''t going to be easy. Nadyr is different from William. He is a B-rank Awakened and also a trained killer. And he''s not even the only B-rank. There are at least twelve of them, according to William''s memories. It will not be easy. Therefore, William needs more power. As much power as possible. "More... Power." Blaze opens his inventory and opens the new Equipment Blindbox. [Opening Equipment Blindbox (Rare)...] [Congratulations, you have received x1 Sun Bird] [Sun Bird] - Type: Equipment - Description: The sword of an ancient king with a golden falcon head as its pommel. Blaze reaches out his hand. A golden longsword appears in his hand. Its crossguard shines like the sun with the beak of the falcon protruding from the pommel. The sword seems like it was made entirely out of gold. Fire spreads from Blaze''s sword hand, burning away the Tattered Cloak. The cloak is not destroyed but gets sent back to the Inventory immediately. [Warning!] [Equipment has conflicting elements!] [You cannot equip the Sun Bird and the Tattered Cloak at the same time] [Sun Bird] - Equipment Rank: Rare S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. - Hidden Power: Sunrise; Sundown. - Sunrise: Fuel the power of the sun inside you and summon the Solar Armor to combat the enemy. - Sundown: If you wear the Solar Armor for more than 99 seconds, its power will erupt into an uncontrollable solar flare, destroying everything in a thirty-meter radius. The sword is hot on Blaze''s skin, but he does not feel uncomfortable or any pain. Its heat is soothing and life-encompassing, similar to the sun. The blade feels weightless in his hand. And so, he swings it to a table nearby. It easily cuts through the table like butter, the wood edges left behind by the strike burn to black. Even without using its Hidden Power, Sun Bird is a formidable weapon. The blade is insanely sharp and radiates intense heat. Its Hidden Power needs more examination, but Blaze doesn''t have time right now. He throws the Sun Bird inside the Inventory and opens his Status window. [STATUS] [Name: Blaze Singer] [Power] Force Blast (C-rank): 0/2000 EXP [Equipment: Grappling Hook (C), Tattered Cloak (U), Lantern of the Damned (R), Destruction Wand (R), Sun Bird (R)] [Experience: 2370] "Upgrade Force Blast!" This time, instead of evolving the power immediately, a new window pops up before Blaze''s eyes. [B-rank Power Evolution] [Please choose your Evolution line] - Force Piercer: Your Force Blast can focus into a straight beam, effective to penetrate strong defensive layers. Power increases (+) Concentration greatly increases (++) Range greatly increases (++) Spread is unchanged Receive Piercing Effect (New) - Force Breaker: Your Force Blast has no new form but now will vibrate when it hits an enemy, causing serious internal damage. Power greatly increases (++) Concentration increases (+) Range increases (+) Spread increases (+) Receive Breaking Effect (New) - Force Shocker: Your Force Blast can spread into a wide cone or a sphere and has the ability to temporarily stun the enemy. Power is unchanged Concentration increases (+) Range increases (+) Spread immensely increased (+++) Receive Shocking Effect (New) "Force Piercer is kind of similar to Destruction Beam. However, it doesn''t have the thirty-second charging weakness. Force Breaker is pure power and destruction capability. Force Shocker can be used to control enemies and works well if I am against a lot of people." Blaze likes the Force Breaker. It is the strongest in terms of power and stays relatively the same as before. Blaze won''t need to relearn how to use it. But his path forward expects him to face a lot of enemies. Nadyr has a lot of henchmen, more than ten B-rank and dozens of C-rank or below. Force Shocker is going to be the most useful for him as of now. Chapter 15: The First Crisis Chapter 15 - 15: The First CrisisBlaze chooses the Force Shocker. [Power evolving...] [Congratulations, your Force Blast (C-rank) has evolved into Force Shocker (B-rank)] [Force Shocker: Your palms can shoot out bright blue waves that stun the enemies. You can control the spread, turning it into a cone-shaped or spherical wave. Rank: B (0/5000 EXP) [Remaining Experience: 370] [Detecting compatibility between your Power (Force Shocker B-rank) and your equipment (Destruction Wand - Rare)] [New Special Evolution Line is unlocked!] [New Hidden Power is unlocked!] [Please check the details of the two items for further instructions] Electricity bursts out of Blaze''s hand. His bones shine a blue color, visible through his skin. The blood veins on his hands radiate a white light. Each blood cell infuses itself with the power of electricity. Shrieking electricity noise fills the room. It sounds exactly like a taser. Both of Blaze''s arms are numb to the bone. He can only feel the shocking sensation of the current. Veins are the wires. Bones are the capacitors. And his flesh acts like a circuit. Blaze opens his palm, electricity dancing on it aggressively. He aims his palm downward, a spherical wave spreads from his hand in every direction. It goes past Blaze but does not affect him one bit. Blaze then aims his hand forward. A cone-like wave shoots forward, almost covering ninety degrees of space in front of him. The range of this attack is much farther than the sphere one and almost reaches ten meters. One has more spread while the other has more range. Blaze can increase the range even further if he shoots it like before, without spreading it to a cone shape. However, he cannot make it smaller. This might be the limitation of this evolution of Force Blast. In contrast, Force Piercer must be easy to concentrate but impossible to spread. This time, the evolution is much more manageable than the last one. Apart from a little bit of discomfort and numbness, it is actually not bad at all. However, Blaze''s attributes also have no increases. [Force Shocker] - Special Evolution Line: Thunder Force (A-rank) - Unlock requirement: 1. You are struck by Lightning Strike produced by Destruction Wand seven times. 2. 2500 EXP [Destruction Wand] - Hidden Power: Arcane Conduit - Arcane Conduit: By pouring the power of your Force Shocker into the wand, Lightning Strike will turn into Thunderbolt. - Thunderbolt (amplified from Lightning Strike): Your wand shoots out blue lightning instead of yellow lightning. The speed, temperature, and pure destruction of the lightning bolt are now several times higher than the original. The Destruction Wand appears in Blaze''s hand. The blue energy of Force Shocker flows out from his skin and enters the tree bark at the end of the wand. Blaze flicks the wand. A thunderous, deafening blue lightning bolt shoots out and completely decimates the opposite wall. The sound and shockwave it created were so strong, they even dazed Blaze. His ears are ringing, and his vision blurs due to the shock. He has not gone far from the school. The others must have heard this extremely loud thunder. Blaze equips the Tattered Cloak and quickly retreats from the scene. Force Shocker + Lighting Strike = Thunderbolt It is also equivalent to... do NOT use it in-house. Blaze tells himself, he thought he was going deaf for a few seconds there. Better use it only outside. I also should find ear protection for this thing. After Blaze has gone for a while. The Pale Harpy and Preston show up at the room. They''re both looking at the destructive wall. "What did it kill this time?" The heroine says. Preston squats down near the wall and carefully examines it. "No... Not killing. The destructive power of its lightning has increased. Increased by a great amount. It is becoming stronger." "No way! How can something become so strong so fast?!" The Harpy''s voice is concerned and shaking a bit. She and Preston look at each other''s eyes and find their answer. The creature took its victims'' souls. It must do it for a reason. And that reason must be power. The Pale Harpy and Preston come to the same conclusion. Using the Grappling Hook, Blaze traverses through the roofs of buildings in the city. He has found the position of three Crises. The first one is inside the school stadium. A large, muscular humanoid monster with arms almost twice as big as its chest. The second one is on top of the radio tower. A weird bird-like creature with blue feathers on its body. It looks very similar to a pterodactyl, the flying dinosaur. However, its beak is made of solid steel and shaped like a blade. The third one is at the City Theater. A giant green snake with red eyes. Its head is almost as big as the theater''s door. Its entire body is inside the theater, sliding in every hallway, showing up in the side windows. The first one, Blaze called it the Quarterback, is inside the school area. If he fights it, the other students definitely will hear the noises. There are a lot of powerful beings inside the school. Henry includes. Blaze cannot guarantee if they will disrupt him or not. The second one, Flying Saurus, is actually in the middle of nowhere, and Blaze won''t need to worry about someone disturbing him. However, the fight may prove challenging as it can fly and Blaze cannot. The third one, Jade Snake, hides inside walls of concrete and has the biggest size of all. The bigger they are, the easier it is to hit them. Blaze thinks and considers carefully. No matter how you see it, the Jade Snake should be the easiest target. He has decided to kill it first. Blaze equips the Tattered Cloak and disappears into darkness. The entire city is covered in shadow, not even a single electric light is illuminating. A perfect playground for the Tattered Cloak. Blaze wonders if the Void has daytime. Because if it does, there should be a few more hours left until sunrise, then the Tattered Cloak will become useless. If it comes to that, maybe he can try to use the new weapon, the Sun Bird. It takes Blaze a few minutes to reach the City Theater. When he comes near it, the ground shakes a bit from time to time, a sign of the giant body of the Jade Snake moving. From the opposite rooftop, Blaze can see its giant body and green scales moving in one of the windows. Its head is nowhere to be seen. Probably somewhere inside the building. Blaze takes a deep breath, getting ready to fight the first Crisis of his life. Just yesterday, he was still a trashy. Only a few hours passed, and now he''s an Awakened with B-rank Power. He also killed seven people and trapped their sword inside the Lantern. Everything changes so fast. Too fast for him to comprehend. But he has no time to contemplate now. Alyson is still waiting for him. "Those damn criminals! I will kill them all! I will kill every single one of them if I need to!" Blaze finds his purpose and then calms his nerves. Not to let his emotions interfere with his judgment. Leaving the Void and going to rescue Alyson now is suicide. Those ''superheroes'' won''t even save her if I beg them. They are all the same. I can only trust myself and my power. And to gain more power, he must gain more reward from the System. The Destruction Wand materializes in his hand. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Blaze pushes all the energy of Force Shocker inside it. He is using the Lightning Strike hidden power, but he charges it the same way as the Destruction Beam. Since the Wand can already absorb his power to amplify Lightning Strike to Thunderbolt. What will happen if it absorbs a lot more? That is the question Blaze has been pondering. And now he''s here to find out. The Destruction Wand fires. Chapter 16: The Jade Snake Chapter 16 - 16: The Jade SnakeA white light fills the area. Everything becomes an unfathomable glare of light. Nothing is visible anymore, only the white color exists. And then the light softened down, revealing a giant branch of lightning reaching out from the tip of the Destruction Wand. Accompanying it are countless blue thunderbolts. They all strike the City Theater at the same time, decimating its outer wall and turning it to debris and dust, at the same time also carving out a huge chunk of the snake''s meat. The Jade Snake roars out in pain. Its body slides quickly in the hallway, trying to move away from the danger. This is the first time Blaze hears the roar of a snake. He thought they could only snarl. After charging the Wand to its maximum potential, the lightning it produced becomes white, and it has become larger and stronger than the normal Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt can easily break down a wall. This charge beam not only disintegrates the City Theater''s wall but also causes massive destruction to the surrounding area. Its penetration power is also admirable. The green scales of the snake were broken down like paper. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The entire front of the City Theater has fallen down, the Jade Snake retreats deeper inside the building. It is a large and complicated structure with an underground tunnel. If the Jade Snake wants, it can really hide and buy more time. Blaze doesn''t have more time. He pours the Force Shocker inside the Wand and releases endless Thunderbolts. Blue lightnings strike repeatedly into the City Theater, aiming to take down the entire structure. Stray electricity claws onto the green scales, destroying them one by one. This is hardly a challenge. A Crisis isn''t even dangerous at all. Blaze thinks to himself. And then, a circle of green light runs from the end of the Jade Snake and goes all the way into its head. Its red eyes shine in the night, and its head looks at Blaze directly. Its head has sneakily left the City Theater and ambushes Blaze. He doesn''t even know since when it has approached him so close. And then it lifts its head, and the eyes shine bloody red. The green light focuses on its mouth and shines brightly. The Jade Snake opens its mouth, a ball of green light hovering in the middle of its throat. Then a green acidic beam shoots out aggressively. Blaze only notices it when the beam has fired. He shoots the Grappling Hook to the nearby building, aiming to run away and dodge the attack. The Jade Snake follows Blaze, readjust the beam to come after him. Blaze flicks his wrist in mid-air repeatedly, bombarding the snake with several Thunderbolts. He aims to disrupt its beam attack. None are effective, and the acidic beam keeps coming. Blaze lands on a nearby roof and immediately ducks down, rolling his entire body away. The beam shoots straight up, melting the roof he was just on into liquid. Yup, it is dangerous. Blaze takes back his previous statement. His entire body fuses with darkness again, no longer present in reality. The Snake stops its attack. Its red eyes carefully scan the environment where Blaze was last seen. Its long, elongated tongue sticks out, vibrating in the air. Thunder roars. The Jade Snake immediately turns its head toward the noise, but it''s too late. The blue lightning pierces into its scales, damaging its left eye. It''s howling in pain, blasts of wind blow out from its skin. All the green scales stand up like nails and all illuminate a green light. The Jade Snake roars one more time before retreating inside the tunnels under the City Theater. It has learned that no good end can come out of fighting Blaze in an open area. Blaze smirks, he lands on the ground and points the Wand toward the Jade Snake. There''s only a small distance between Blaze and the Jade Snake. It looks at Blaze with its left bloody eye and its right crimson eye. It opens its mouth and once again shoots out the acidic beam. Blaze shoots out the Thunderbolt. Both energies collide with each other. The Thunderbolt''s destructive capability is far greater than the acidic beam. The ground and structure around it are all disintegrating. The acidic beam, however, has much better corrosive power. It is especially effective against electricity, slowly eroding its power. The energy from the Thunderbolt gets pushed back. Blaze frowns. He shoots the Grappling Hook to a different position and ends the Thunderbolt beam. The acidic beam, no longer having any obstacle, shoots straight forward and melts Blaze''s previous position. Blaze turns invisible again and follows the Jade Snake inside the tunnel. He swears he heard it laugh when its acidic beam successfully pushed back his Thunderbolt. Blaze uses the Grappling Hook to keep up with it, venturing deeper into the ground. The tip of his wand is holding a sphere of darkness, charging a Destruction Beam for an attack. The Thunderbolt seems to be countered by its acidic beam. Blaze figures he should try the other Hidden Power. The Jade Snake is smart. It knows to retreat, but it doesn''t know that Blaze may follow it to the ground. After receiving no attack for a while, it stops moving. Green energy again runs from its body to its head, focusing on its eye. The tissue on it is slowly regenerating. Give it one or two minutes, and it should heal to normal. But of course, Blaze gives it no time to rest. After exactly thirty seconds pass, the Destruction Beam darts out of the bone wand. The black beam zigzags in the tunnels and avoids all obstacles. Its speed is a bit slower than the lightning bolt but still fast nonetheless. Fast enough for the Jade Snake to be unable to dodge. The black beam shoots inside its left eye from upward, piercing into its brain. The snake rolls around and gets away from the beam. The left part of its face becomes completely grey. But it is not dead yet. The Destruction Beam does not neutralize the Tattered Cloak''s ability, so Blaze was not revealed. He continues to charge the bone wand again with the dark energy. Even though Force Strike evolved three times and can be used in combination with Lightning Strike, Blaze''s most devastating attack is still the Destruction Beam. Its special homing ability and draining effect are still the deadliest. The energy that was used to make the acidic beam now visible in the Jade Snake''s scale. It spills out of its skin and forms a sort of protective layer. The Jade Snake drills straight down from its current position, using the eroding energy to split the ground. Oh no, you don''t... The Jade Snake is trying to escape. It knows it cannot win. Blaze won''t let it get away. He shoots the Grappling Hook''s arrow to its head. His entire body is pulled with it, surfing the dirt it is eroding. The Jade Snake has no idea that it has an arrow on it and keeps running. Blaze lands on its body and puts his other hand on its scale. His Force Shocker has a Shocking effect, which can stun an enemy for a brief moment. While combining it with Lightning Strike, all of Force Shocker''s capabilities are converted into pure power, losing its stunning ability. Blaze wonders if Force Shocker can work on this giant creature. The Destruction Beam fires again. At the same time, Blaze channels all his power to his other hand, blowing out a strong stream of Force Shocker to the Snake''s scales. Chapter 17: Snake’s Core Chapter 17 - 17: Snake''s CoreThe blue wave shoots out from Blaze''s palm and enters the crevices between the scales of the Jade Snake. Its entire body stops death in its track and vibrates uncontrollably. Blaze has underestimated his B-rank power a lot. His Force Shocker is more than enough to subdue this creature. C-rank power possesses superhuman capabilities. While B-rank power is called strategic weapons. B-rank may not be useful or destructive like A-rank, but it is powerful in its own right. The Destruction Beam shoots out again and lands on the Jade Snake''s right eye. Blaze aims to neutralize both of its eyes, removing its vision from the playing field. From then on, killing it should be child''s play. The Snake has no chance of dodging while its body is stunned. The Destruction Beam penetrates its right head, causing the other half of its head to lose its color. The scales on its entire body shine green again. Blaze hurriedly jumps down and uses the Grappling Hook to move away. Eroding smoke blows out of the crevices of its scale, melting the surrounding rocks and dirt. It shoves its entire body chaotically around the narrow tunnel, aiming to crush Blaze inside. Damn it! Blaze has no time to get out. He has followed it into its retreat path. A one-way tunnel up and down. There is no path to get away or any corner to hide. And only moments later, its body will find Blaze and crush him like a bug. Blaze unequips the Tattered Cloak. His half-naked body shows up again. The tunnel is filled with corrosive smoke, only a few seconds, and parts of Blaze''s skin are already peeling off. Blaze clenches his jaw, enduring the pain. A golden sword appears in his hand. "Sunrise!" Blaze screams. A sphere of light embraces Blaze, he shines like a miniature sun in the tunnel. The light is so intense that every part of the tunnel is lit up, golden light shines through to the ground. The Pale Harpy is flying above the City Theater, scouting the area when she sees the light. It is a holy, justicial light. A divine intervention from above. The Pale Harpy immediately descends to the City Theater to investigate. The sphere of golden light disappears. Now, standing there, is a golden warrior with golden armor. The armor head is shaped like a falcon, leaving its mouth open to reveal Blaze''s face. The armor looks like golden feathers fused together with dragon scales on the back. Shoulder pads on each side, a sun symbol on the chest, and a scabbard floating in front of Blaze. The Sun Bird did not come with a scabbard. It only appears when Sunrise is used. Blaze snatches the scabbard and sheaths the Sunbird into it. The intense light disappears, all of its energy is swallowed whole into the blade. Behind Blaze, an illusion of a sun materializes, radiating intense heat that makes the Jade Snake move away. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 99.99 seconds] S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What is this effect? Blaze looks behind his back, embarrassed a little bit due to the nature of the armor. Luckily, the illusion of the sun quickly dissipates. So cool... The Pale Harpy hides in a nearby rock, watching everything with sparkling eyes. The Jade Snake roars again. Even though it can''t see, it can feel Blaze''s presence because of the heat. What a resilient creature... The Jade Snake lost both of its eyes, a major section of its head turned grey. But it is still alive. Blaze commemorates its unyielding nature. He draws the Sun Bird out. This time, the blade is no longer made of metal, it is made of pure, intense light. A sword made of sunlight. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 92.13 seconds] The Solar Armor will disappear soon.. Let''s kill this thing before that. Blaze thinks. He lunges forward, both of his hands holding the sword. He has no training or practice, so he won''t try to be flashy. He is just going to depend on the armor and strike in simple fashion. The Sun Bird proves to be a different kind of power than his previous. Force Shocker needs no skill as it is a range attack. Blaze only has to aim. The Destruction Wand is similar, acting as a magical gun. He has always used ambushing tactics to win his fight. Hiding with Tattered Cloak then sniping with his long-range attack. But now, he can''t do that anymore. His sword form is ugly, and his balance is weak and trembling. He is no better than Jake as before. The Jade Snake continues its plan and slams its huge body into Blaze. He responds by slicing the sword forward, aiming to cut its flesh in two. The Snake crushes Blaze''s entire body. He engraves into a human-shaped hole. Blaze jams the sword inside its flesh. The sunlight sword easily penetrates its scale. The Jade Snake retreats panically, but Blaze keeps the sword tightly inside its flesh. He holds on to the sword and stays on its body. Blaze twists the sword, causing the Snake to writhe in pain. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 67.90 seconds] The Solar Armor is no joke. Blaze can''t even feel a thing when the Jade Snake slams him into the dirt. But its limit is obvious. He can only be in this form for less than 70 seconds more. Blaze pulls the sword out of its flesh and immediately thrusts his other hand inside it. He opens his palm wide and controls it so that Force Shocker will spread in a spherical wave. Blaze channels all his strength and blasts away. A blue wave of energy runs across the Snake''s spine. Its bones light up like a Christmas tree. The Jade Snake is immobilized and freezes like stone. Blaze uses this opportunity to shoot the Grappling Hook forward, approaching its head. Green lights flicker under its scale. It obviously tries to recover from the stun as quickly as possible. If it can recover, this fight will be extended much longer. That is something Blaze does not want to see. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 42.11 seconds] Blaze drops from above and thrusts the Sun Bird right down the middle of the Jade Snake''s head, into its brain. The Sun Bird slides into its flesh like a knife cutting butter. Blaze twists the sword and then reaches his hand down the hole of flesh. Force Shocker! This time the blue wave invades its brain, frying all of its neurons. [You have slain your first Crisis!] [You have gained 100 experience points!] [You have received a Superpower Blindbox for your achievement] [Your reward is delivered into Inventory] [The Jade Snake has dropped x1 Snake''s Core, x10 Jade Scale, x20 Snake''s Flesh] [Items are delivered into Inventory] [Mission: Escape the Void - (Optional) Eliminate all the power sources of the Voidgate. Progress: 33.33% - Sub reward: Equipment Blindbox (Common)] The System is generous but can still be stingy at times. Killing a gigantic snake and it only rewarded Blaze with a common equipment chest. What a disappointment. But hey, at least it gifted me a new Superpower. The body of the Snake disintegrates after Blaze kills it. Everything disappeared except a weird green pearl inside of its head, ten of its scales, and a bunch of snake meats. Each of these items hovers in the air for a few seconds before flying over to Blaze and entering his chest. [INVENTORY] [Tattered Cloak] [Destruction Wand (Equipped)] [x28 Matchstick] [Superpower Blindbox] [Snake''s Core] [x10 Jade Scale] [x30 Snake Flesh] [Detecting your Inventory is almost full] [Inventory Expansion is unlocked!] - Price: 1000 EXP in exchange for 1 grid "That... is a lot." Blaze sighs. Chapter 18: Genesis Legion Chapter 18 - 18: Genesis LegionTo upgrade a D-rank power, 500 experience points are required. And now, to open up an Inventory slot, the System asks for double that amount, 1000 experience points. Blaze can''t help but feel a bit ripped off. He makes peace with it quickly, though. The Inventory is where the reward is delivered. It makes sense why it is important and justifies the amount of experience needed to expand it. Blaze has a Superpower Blindbox so he can free up a space immediately. [Sundown is imminent!] [Sunrise Remaining Time: 17.64 seconds] Blaze almost forgets he''s still wearing explosive armor on him. He quickly dissipates the power of Sunrise. The Solar Armor disappears along with the Sun Bird''s scabbard. The blade dims down and no longer glares like a miniature sun. Blaze''s true form is revealed. A scrawny kid who wears only a pair of black shorts. "Wait... You''re a kid?!" A woman''s voice rings out in the tunnel. Blaze turns toward her, aiming his palm at the source of the voice. There she''s standing, the Pale Harpy with her tight black and white spandex. This was the woman who attacked him previously while he was trying to kill the Animals. Blaze doesn''t even know her name or her superhero title. Wait a minute. I don''t think she recognizes me. Blaze literally killed a man in front of her. This obviously put him on the opposite side of the superhero group. However, he was wearing the Tattered Cloak then. His face and actual appearance should have been concealed. "You are?" Blaze feigns ignorance. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh. You must not know me. I''m the Pale Harpy, a C-rank superhero." The Pale Harpy observes Blaze closely. It is hard to believe that the incredible warrior in gold is this scrawny kid. Maybe it is his superpower to transform. And that sword... What a peculiar weapon. Conjuring weapons and armor is actually not that uncommon of a superpower. The Harpy personally knows a girl that can pull mystical weapons out of her dream. "What do you want?" Blaze says. "I also want to slay the Crises. You and I both know that consuming their power is greatly beneficial for us." The Pale Harpy explains. "Your method is a bit weird, I have to be honest. Those scales, meats, and then the core were flying toward you. Weirdest thing I see so far. But hey, I have seen much more unexplainable things in my life. I want to attack the other two Crises as well, and I hope you can help us." "You saw the flying items?" Blaze asks, keeping a calm and smiley face. "Yeah. What is that about, if you don''t mind me asking?" The Pale Harpy does not recognize that Blaze has approached her closely. He reaches out his hand to cover her mouth. While his other hand is put on her belly, he shoots out a small controlled amount of Force Shocker. The Harpy''s entire body stiffens. The lightning charges from the wave constrict and limit the movement of her muscles. "What... Why..." "You''ve seen too much, Harpy." She basically saw the power of the System. This is something Blaze cannot allow. But she does not deserve to die. At least, based on the information Blaze currently knows about her. So he can''t kill her to keep the secret. However, he has a much better solution. Blaze shoves the Harpy to the ground, then places his palm on her forehead. He slowly lifts his hand. Yellow translucent energy pours out of Harpy''s body and transforms into her soul. Blaze''s eyes open wide. His irises shine brightly, a yellow shade. A symbol is slowly carved into the Harpy''s soul. Soul Reaper allows him to enslave any soul. Blaze then will use this to make sure the Pale Harpy will do exactly as he says. After a while, the symbol is engraved into her soul. Blaze releases her back into her body. The Pale Harpy wakes up. She scrambles on her back to get far away from Blaze. The Harpy covers her chest, tears swell up in her eyes. "What did you do?!" She doesn''t know what has happened. But now, an enormous force inside her heart tells her that this man is now her master. She cannot disobey him. She must do everything he says. She must give everything she has if the man asks her to. That''s why she''s extremely panicked right now and on the verge of crying. "Relax, ''superhero''!" Blaze sarcastically says. "I won''t harm you or do anything to you. What I need you to do is very simple. You can never tell anyone about me or what you saw here. Got it?" "That''s it?" "That''s it!" Blaze nods. "If I need you in the future, I will be in contact. Now go back to where you come from." The Pale Harpy is visibly confused, her brows furrow. It''s not like she is disappointed, but she finds it weird. The Harpy looks down at her body. I look hot, right? I am hot! A slender waist with gigantic bust and hip. The tight fabric only emphasizes her curves even more. But the man who has control over her doesn''t even seem to want to take advantage of this. The Harpy leaves with questions in her head. While Blaze, after confirming she is gone, uses the Superpower Blindbox immediately. [Opening Superpower Blindbox...] This blindbox has no rank at all, it should be the one that has all the powers from rank F to S, like Blaze''s first blindbox. S to F, seven ranks in total, and Blaze got an E-rank for his first box. The second lowest of the rank. He knows his luck is bad, so he wasn''t pissed off then. Blaze expects this Blindbox will be similar. If he''s lucky, maybe the power can be D or C rank. [Congratulations, you have received Genesis Legion (S-rank)] [Genesis Legion: You can create clones with customizable appearances. You and your clones share the same mind and memories. At any time, you can take control of any of your clones. - Sub power: Genesis Absorption, Psyche Split, Legion of One. - Genesis Absorption: You can absorb DNA from other genetic samples to create a Genesis Clone, a clone with an altered genetic condition. - Psyche Split: You can split your mind and assign it to one of your clones, giving it independent thought and action. The clone can never betray the original, nor will it have a soul of its own. The clone is still you with a part of your mind inside. - Legion of One: Improvement and development are shared between all your clones and you. Rank: S (0/100000 EXP)] Blaze drops down to the ground and convulses aggressively. His body becomes extremely hot, steam coming out of his skin. It is a pleasant and also unpleasant surprise to Blaze. The power is extremely powerful and useful. However, the metamorphosis needed to acquire this power is also extremely demanding and painful. All cells inside Blaze''s body erupt like a volcano. They expend energy, then regroup, creating a circulation around Blaze''s body. [Detecting compatibility between your Power (Force Shocker B-rank) and your Power (Genesis Legion S-rank)] [New Genesis Clone is unlocked!] Blue electricity shoots out of Blaze''s palm, joining the chaotic steam and energy that is circulating his body. And then, blood bursts out of his skin. Flesh grows at an extremely alarming and disgusting rate. A cocoon of flesh envelops Blaze. Chapter 19: Soul Bound Chapter 19 - 19: Soul Bound[STATUS] [Name: Blaze Singer] [Species: Human] [Age: 16] [Attributes] Strength - 11 (+5) Stamina - 10 (+5) Agility - 11 (+5) Dexterity - 8 (+5) Perception - 10 (+5) Endurance - 12 (+5) [Power] Force Blast (B-rank): 0/5000 EXP - Sub Power: Force Shocker. Genesis Legion (S-rank): 0/100000 EXP - Sub Power: Genesis Absorption; Psyche Split; Legion of One. [Equipment: Grappling Hook (C), Tattered Cloak (U), Lantern of the Damned (UR), Destruction Wand (R), Sun Bird (R)] [Experience: 470] The cocoon breaks, and in it is walking out a new Blaze Singer. Due to malnourishment, Blaze has been skinny and shorter than anyone else his entire life. He was only 165 meters previously. 165 for a 16-year-old is pretty short. Jake was more than 180 meters. And Alyson is around 180 meters. Now Blaze is a head taller than before, reaching 185 meters in height. His entire body is sculpted out of pure, hard muscle. Each muscle line visible on his skin like a masterpiece of a statue, an actual god amongst men. Crevices of abs breathe out steam. Sweat runs on the perfectly smooth skin and rock-hard muscles. This is no longer the ugly trashy. Blaze, now, looks like an actual superhero. His shorts were disintegrated in the process of metamorphosis. He is now completely naked. Blaze raises his hand. The Sun Bird flies up from the ground and into his hand, then it disappears into Inventory. The Tattered Cloak covers him. Now the figure is larger than before, with an even more terrifying aura around it. "I should find some clothes." The Tattered Cloak is useless in the morning, so he can''t wear it when day comes. The Akansa High has a bunch of sports clothes lying around. They should be suffice for Blaze to use. But before that, he will test this new S-rank power. "My luck is actually not that bad." Thinking he was going to get another low-rank power. This unexpected surprise really caught him off guard. A free S-rank without having to waste too many experience points. It''s not a combat power, but it is still useful. The new superpower created a new window inside the System. [CLONES] [Existing Clone] None. [Available Genesis] - Normal: Genetic traces received from the User''s human genome. Price: 5 days lifespan or 50 EXP - Shocking Force: Genetic traces received from Force Shocker (B-rank). The clone can use the Force Shocker (B-rank) and its lower-rank variations. The clone is resistant to electricity damage and can draw energy from it. The clone''s strength is greater than that of the user (+2). Price: 5 years lifespan or 2500 EXP S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Clone Storage: 0/2] After Blaze opens the new window, several messages pop up. [Clone Creation: can use other forms of suitable energy] Current suitable energy: Lifespan; Experience Points. [Clone can be stored inside the Clone Storage] [Clone Storage Expansion: 2000 EXP per slot] The new superpower is worthy enough for the System to create a dedicated window for it, along with the current STATUS, INVENTORY, and QUEST. It even prepares a storage unit for Blaze. But still, the expansion price is incredibly high, even more than the Inventory Expansion. "Hmmm. These clones aren''t just temporary. They are an actual body when created and won''t disappear after use." Blaze feels the new power within, knowledge comes out from his genetic components, teaching him its reach and limits. He wonders if the Jade Snake can also be used as a genetic sample for the Genetic Absorption. Blaze opens his palm, a Jade Scale appears. Purple energy pours out of his skin, the power of Genesis Legion, and touches the Jade Scale. Unfortunately, Genesis Legion has no interest in the Jade Scale at all. Blaze also tries with the Snake''s Flesh, resulting in the same rejection. Then, he takes out the Snake''s Core. [Detecting suitable DNA sample for Genesis Absorption!] The purple energy covers the Snake''s Core and draws out its power. Blaze can feel the green orb in his hand turn smaller by a little bit. [New Genesis Clone is unlocked!] - Acidic Jade: Genetic traces received from Snake''s Core. The clone can use the Acidic Spit (D-rank). The clone is resistant to acidic damage. The clone has natural defensive scales on its skin. Price: 5 months lifespan or 250 EXP "It''s actually work. Interesting..." Blaze mumbles. He now has three Genesis to choose for his clones. Normal Genome is basically him without any of his power. A true cannon fodder that won''t have any other uses. Shocking Force Genome contains the power of Force Shocker and its enhanced attributes. Acidic Jade has the abilities and characteristics of the Jade Snake. By going through the Genomes, Blaze suddenly realizes another limitation of Genesis Legion. None of his clones can have two types of Genomes together. One clone for each superpower alone. But Blaze is able to house both Force Shocker and Genesis Legion. Many superheroes also have multiple powers. The Pale Harpy can create energy feathers for combat, and she can also fly. A notable example for multiple powers. Not only that, Genesis Legion can absorb the DNA to create a clone with new power. But it can''t integrate this power to the original, Blaze himself. Blaze definitely will not be going to use his life expectancy for the clone. Experience points are much cheaper and can be collected. No one is dumb enough to use lifespan. [Current experience points: 470] Since Blade cannot upgrade his power nor do anything more with the experience points, he decides to test the superpower. Wasting 250 EXP, Blaze creates an Acidic Jade clone. [Creating clone...] [Please design the appearance of your new clone!] Blaze ponders. He can create another version of himself. His mother is going to faint when she sees two of them. Or he can create a handsome clone. Good for making connections. An intimidating one is also useful in some cases. But right now, he needs the appearance of someone to help him save Alyson. "William D''Angelo... Yes, his face can help me rescue Alyson." There will be time until William''s death is announced. That is enough for Blaze to infiltrate their organization and save Alyson. [Please choose your clone''s Genesis] Blaze chooses the Acidic Jade. [Remaining experience points: 220 EXP] Purple energy pours out of Blaze''s skin and converges into a humanoid figure in front of him. Bones birth from the purple energy, and flesh materializes into the air. Then, once the shell is formed. The purple energy pours into the middle of the clone''s forehead, establishing a mental connection between Blaze and it. William D''Angelo is now reborn into the world. He looks exactly like how Blaze remembers him. Blaze even scans his memories before so he knows each and every part of William''s body, helping create an exact copy from the original. [Detecting compatibility between your Power (Genesis Legion S-rank) and your equipment (Lantern of the Damned - Ultra Rare)] [New Sub Power is unlocked!] [New Hidden Power is unlocked!] [Lantern of the Damned] - Soul Bound: You can assign a soul to a body that it is 100% compatible with. Giving it control of the body. [Genesis Legion] - Genesis Soul: A soul that is assigned to your clone will integrate its soul genome to the clone. Blaze smirks. Chapter 20: Pyro Dash Chapter 20 - 20: Pyro Dash[Please name your Clone] A window pops up. "Snake." Blaze says [The clone is registered] The Lantern of the Damned appears in Blaze''s hand. He draws out the soul of William and drops him on the ground. The yellow fire expands into a semi-transparent body of William. His translucent eyes open again in this world. William sees Blaze and immediately lunges forward at him. Blaze does not react. "Please! Please no more!" William bursts out in tears, losing all his dignity and self-respect. He is no longer the leader of the Nocturnal Animals. He is now just a poor trapped soul inside the Lantern of forever damnation. He''s trying to hug Blaze''s legs. However, his body goes straight through Blaze. "You don''t have a physical body." Blaze says. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There''s only one way for the souls inside the Lantern to interact with the real world, that is to give it a half-physical body via the Hidden Power Soul Slave. Blaze has only one Soul Slave slot, and he hasn''t given it to anyone yet. William is visibly shocked, looking at his own yellowish body. He still has not grasped the truth that he is no longer alive. William kneels to the ground and slams his spiritual head so low that it almost phases through the dirt. "Please! I know I was wrong! I know I''m a fucker! But please. No more burning! No more! I can''t take it anymore. I swear I''ll do anything you ask!" William''s shaking while he''s trying to pledge for his soul. Edges of his limbs are blurry, like they can disappear anytime. A sign that he was burning non-stop by Soul Flare. It is Blaze''s punishment for him. "Collect yourself and stand up." Blaze orders. William is still traumatized, but he tries his best to hold on and stand up, his feet are close together, and his back is straight as a pole. William looks like a new recruit at a boot camp. "You have ruined many lives. It was my punishment for you to burn for eternity." "Please no!" William blurts out. He cannot imagine being burned again. That pain was unbearable and pierced right through your soul. It is not something a mortal can comprehend. Blaze stares at William for interrupting. William''s legs shake profusely, and he drops down, head on the ground again. "Stand up. Don''t interrupt me again." William carefully follows the order, avoiding Blaze''s stare. "Assist me in my path, and I may grant you a more forgiving end." "Of course! I''ll do anything for you." Blaze nods and reaches his hand out, touching William''s forehead. His irises turn yellow, a symbol is engraved on William''s forehead, the sign of being enslaved. William''s soul hovers slightly above the ground. Once his feet land, he has become a slave. "Master." William kneels. Blaze wags his finger. The clone with William''s appearance walks forward. "That is your new body." William nods solemnly and walks into the clone. His yellow figure merges with the physical body of the clone. [William D''Angelo (trapped soul) has taken control of your clone ''Snake''] [William''s genome has fused with the clone (temporary effect)] [Your clone ''Snake'' has received a new temporary Power: Pyro Dash (C-rank)] [Pyro Dash (C-rank): You can blast fire from your feet, allowing you to be propelled through the air or send fire projectiles through kicks.] William cracks his neck. He can feel the warmth of the living world come back. He didn''t understand how beautiful and soothing it was until he is long dead. And this body, even though it looks exactly like his former, is also different. Parts of William''s face turn green, and scales appear on his skin, forming a natural defensive armor. He can also feel that there is another power hiding inside this body. This power is weaker than his own, but not by much. This body is superb... His original body was wrecked by excessive uses of drugs and a bad lifestyle. Now with a fresh, clean shell, he finally feels what it''s really like to be pure of depravity. William kneels immediately in front of his new master. He is both afraid and feeling a weird sensation of submissiveness toward the figure. It comes straight from his soul. William knows he can never betray him. "I am your servant, master! Please use me!" "Good. First things first, we''re going to need to find something for you to wear." The clone is completely naked. It will be hard to explain if someone else sees William like this. Blaze does not like his image to be associated with something perverted. "Stay in the storage for now." Blaze says. William instantly disappears. He has been sent into the pocket dimension of the Clone Storage. In this zero-gravity space, there is no ground nor sky, the only things that exist are the three stars. A white star stands still at the top. A blue star orbits around it. And a farthest green star that is very small. The place is empty and boring, but at least William is not being burned every second. He is more than happy with his new home. Blaze fades into darkness again and goes to the school. His next target is the Quarterback, the giant humanoid Crisis. All of the hollow-faced monsters are either reflections of normal humans or F-rank Awakeners. There are no E-rank monsters. But the Crisis seems to cross this limit. The Jade Snake, as easy as it was to kill it, is actually a real threat. Its power would be at least C-Rank, maybe even more. Its acidic beam was able to melt even concrete. Since the Jade Snake has powers, the Quarterback also should. Blaze infiltrates the school. He can see that the students inside were organized neatly by Henry. The teachers, however, are nowhere to be found. Akansa is a mid-scale city, not too crowded nor too isolated. It has no A-rank Awakened, but there were a lot of B-rank Awakeners. Some of the teachers Blaze knows are B-rank Awakened with actual combat prowess. "The question now is... Where did they all go? If there''s some kind of limitation to the Voidgate, then everything can be explained naturally. If it''s not because of the Voidgate... This world is much more filthy than I expected it to be." Blaze mumbles. Even William does not know much about the situation. He, however, has much more knowledge about the Void. According to William''s memories, there are a total of seven layers to the Void. The uppermost layer is the Mirror, which is where Blaze is right now. The Mirror is a reflection of the real world and will create Hollows, the monsters with no face, with the resemblance and power level of normal humans or F-rank Awakeners in the area. It cannot, however, copy E-rank or higher Awakened. Blaze goes into the gym, where all the spare clothes can be found. He unequips the Tattered Cloak and puts on a fitting sport clothing. "Finally presentable." Blaze will register his superpower sooner or later. His involvement in this incident may be questioned. It is wise to be presentable enough so that he can show up in front of other people. The Pale Harpy knows his true face, but she is the slave to the Lantern already, no need to worry about her. Blaze equips the Tattered Cloak again and returns to the appearance of the Wraith. Purple energy pours out of Blaze, and William is once again existing in this world. Blaze throws a pair of clothing to William. "Put on the clothes." "Yes, Master." William doesn''t dare to question anything and does as he was told. The sound of footsteps is emitted in the hallway. Blaze and William look at each other. William returns to the Clone Storage while Blaze fades into darkness. The door slides open, a student is there with a flashlight. "Anyone there?" No one answers him. He points the flashlight around but finds nothing out of the ordinary. Chapter 21: The Quarterback Chapter 21 - 21: The QuarterbackThe Pale Harpy returns from her scouting. "Did you find anything?" Preston says. The Pale Harpy shakes her head. She did find something, but she can''t speak it out, the symbol ingrained in her soul burns brightly if she even thinks about that. "Pity. So it''s only two Crises." Preston says. Henry suddenly appears, his body blinking to the location at an insane speed. "No other monsters around. All Hollows were massacred. The only thing left here is that thing." Henry says. "Great. Then we can proceed to kill it." Preston gestures for one of his teammates to walk up. "Analyze the Crisis, Anya." Preston says. The masked woman approaches. She kneels down for a more steady position and closes her eyes. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Liberty Sons, a group of C-rank Awakeners, travels the world and hunts the most wanted fugitives for money. Fugitives in Ranas aren''t actually criminals, and some of the time they can be just enemies of one of the Three Giants of Ranas. The Three Giants, the Hyperion Federation of Awakened, Vox Entertainment, and the Institution of Order. Each rules aspects of Ranas and has its own allies and enemies. Mercenaries like the Liberty Sons live off the money of the Three Giants to feed themselves and prosper. However, the Liberty Sons were able to gather quite a good name for themselves as they only went after supervillains, Awakened, who were deemed to have committed unspeakable crimes. Preston is the leader of the group. Anya, the masked woman, is the scout. Batrick, the muscle of the group. Leo, the marksman. And finally, Dastan, the assassin. Each fulfills a special role in the group. The truth is their powers are all mediocre. But with teamwork and dedication, the Liberty Sons has acquired admirable achievement and popularity. The Pale Harpy, on the other hand, is a solo-working superhero. She is less famous than the Liberty Sons in the combat field. However, she is rather popular on social media. One of the hot Awakened with a lot of followers. Of course, what she has going for her is her beauty. She was even invited to join the Vox Cinematic Universe once but declined the offer. The masked woman, Anya, has the superpower Deep Spyglass (C-rank). It has two main abilities. One acts as a natural magnifying glass that can help Anya observe up to 200 meters distance as detailed as close up. The second ability can help determine the approximate threat a being can have. It isn''t precise and usually only provides a vague feeling to Anya. If she shivers, it can kill her. If she''s indifferent, it is weak. If all the heat washes away from her body and leaves her with cold feet, it can kill all the Liberty Sons. Anya opens her eyes, her irises shine the shade of blue. She focuses her gaze on the Crisis and examines it. The Quarterback gives her a cold feeling. A threat that can easily wipe them all out. Based on Anya''s experience, this Crisis will at least have a C3 and above power level. "Well? What is it?" Batrick says. Anya holds her gaze toward the Crisis for far too long before diverting her eyes away and says: "It can kill us all." "Shit." Dastan says in a low tone. "Don''t fret." Preston says. "Anya''s power is only assessing us versus it. We have the school president here and the Pale Harpy also. Our chance of winning is very high." "Are you sure, Captain?" Batrick says, measuring Henry up and down. "A kid may not be that strong in a battle. Especially if he is inexperienced." "Careful what you''re saying, Batrick." Preston glares at Batrick, shutting him up. "This is Henry Colson of the Colson family. He has trained in combat all his life." The Colson family, although not as notorious as the Three Giants, is still a formidable faction in Ranas. It holds a large portion of the market of the country and is located at the capital of Ranas. Not many factions can exist in the capital without being crushed by the Three Giants. Unless they are strong enough. "Well, I didn''t know." Batrick smiles. "Excuse my doubt, Mr. Colson." "Please, just call me Henry. A voidgate can be a curse, but it also can be a blessing. I believe we all want that Crisis Core. After the fight, my family can help dissect the Core so that we can split it evenly." Henry says. He is the tallest in the group even though he is only sixteen. His shoulder is wide like a bear with gigantic palms the size of an adult head. His face is square and stern. Muscles visibly stretch the clothes he''s wearing, imposing an intimidating presence that none of the people here has. Furthermore, the speed at which he has been moving is unfathomable. Everyone here understands that in a one-on-one, he would have decimated them in a second. They are all curious about his power, but no one dares to ask. It must at least be a B-rank... Everyone thinks the same. The Colson family''s superpower has always been kept a secret. No one knows what the power of their genes holds. But everyone knows the sheer power and strength each Colson can have. "Wait a minute! Who is that?" Anya says. Everyone looks over. In the stadium, a kid wearing sports clothing is approaching the Crisis. "The boy must have a death wish." Batrick smirks and steps forward, intending to drag that stupid kid back. Henry blinks in front of him and reaches out his hand, stopping Batrick in his tracks. "What are you doing?" "That is not one of our students." Henry squints his eyes, trying to identify the stranger. And then it hits him. "That''s Blaze Singer, a former student of our school. But he shouldn''t have any power in my memory." "A trashy? He''s probably just awakened then. Well, why are you stopping me? Even though he may not be a student anymore, we can''t just let the stupid boy kill himself." Henry shakes his head and does not intend to explain further. But Anya speaks up. "That boy is not weak... At least he is as strong as the Crisis." "You must be kidding." The Pale Harpy is shaking profusely, but she tries her best to calm down. She sees the kid again, the one who has enslaved her. Blaze enters the stadium. He has noticed the others while scouting the area in darkness mode. If he shows up wearing the Tattered Cloak. They will obviously attack him and prevent him from killing the Crisis. Showing up as Blaze Singer, however, can prevent this. To keep his identity a secret, Blaze won''t be able to use the Tattered Cloak or the Destruction Wand, two of his strongest abilities. However, he still has the Force Shocker and the Sun Bird. Neither has been seen by anyone else except the Pale Harpy. He did use Force Blast in the fight with the Nocturnal Animals, but he doubts they saw it. Force Blast''s appearance has also changed greatly, now a bright blue shock wave instead of the blue pulse as before. It shouldn''t be associated too much with the Force Blast the Wraith used. It should be enough for Blaze to challenge the Quarterback. Not only that, Blaze can also feel that the power inside the Sun Bird is recovered completely. He is now able to summon the Solar Armor again. Blaze reaches out his hand, the golden Sun Bird appears. The Quarterback turns toward Blaze. It is gigantic and is almost three meters tall. Its head is small, human-sized. But his body is built like a tank with two cannon-sized arms. "Come, you ugly bastard!" Blaze raises the Sun Bird, ready to conquer the second Crisis. Chapter 22: Wheel of Flesh Chapter 22 - 22: Wheel of FleshLooking at the giant humanoid monster, Blaze ponders what its power could be. It is large, and its arms are big, mutated, and muscular. From every aspect, the Quarterback''s power should be based on strength. Therefore, it should be extremely slow. It has a normal human-sized chest and legs. Obviously this will hinder its movement a lot and cause it to be slow as a snail. Keep my distance, use the Force Shocker to stun it, and then hurt it with the Sun Bird. When it is weak, I can summon the Solar Armor and end it up close. Blaze prepares a battle plan in his head. However, the next thing the Quarterback does completely ruins his calculation. The giant arms curve into circles. The Quarterback tucks its leg inside its large arm and withdraws its head inward. It has now become a wheel. "What the?" Blaze blurts out. The giant meat wheel spins in place, kicking out dirt and grass to the back. Its meaty skin is tough, roaring on the ground and becoming faster and faster. And then it darts forward, fast as a missile on the ground. It closes the distance in the blink of an eye and aims to crush Blaze with its big muscle flesh. Blaze jumps to the side, just in time to move out of its trajectory. His body was enhanced greatly, which allows Blaze to jump farther than he used to. One jump and he can reach as far as three meters. The meat wheel bolts past him, leaving a soaring wind behind. Blaze turns back and points his palm toward the Quarterback, shooting out a wave of Force Shocker. Too bad for him that the Quarterback is extremely fast and easily gets out of his power range. The meat wheel runs far and takes a sharp turn back, once again going toward Blaze. It is far enough to gain momentum and build up speed again. "This is bad..." The meat wheel runs at him again, and Blaze can''t do anything except jump out of the way. Its speed is too great for Blaze to catch it. He also cannot face it upfront. Doing so will guarantee a one-way ticket to hell for him. While the Quarterback is building momentum again, Blaze looks around, trying to think of a solution. "It is basically a wheel. This grass field can increase its speed and lower friction. What is the weakness of a wheel"? The Quarterback runs at him once more. This time Blaze jumps up instead of sideways and tries to shoot it with a Force Shocker in midair. Its little legs stick out and stomp on the ground, giving the meat wheel a push to bounce up. Blaze''s eyes are wide open, he cannot imagine the Quarterback has this trick. Blaze drops the Sun Bird and aims both of his palms toward it. He channels all his power and shoots out two cone-shaped shockwaves. The blue wave hits the Quarterback and slows it down by a bit. But it isn''t enough to stop it. The meat wheel slams on Blaze''s body, sending him flying a dozen meters back. Blaze rolls on the ground. He quickly finds his footing and stands up again. He isn''t hurt at the impact, only an airless feeling in his lungs, like all the oxygen has been sucked out. And then the pain hits, his stomach is twisting like crazy, and his chest cramps like it is crushed inward. "Damn it!" Blaze endures the pain and tries his best to calm his breathing. He reaches his hand out, and the Sun Bird flies over to his palm. The Quarterback doesn''t leave him much time to think. It comes crashing again with deadly speed. Blaze learns his lesson and jumps sideways. "What is its weakness?" If the meat wheel keeps spinning, sooner or later it will exhaust Blaze. He will no longer have the strength to move and will be crushed by it for sure. Its speed also prevents Blaze from trying to learn its weakness. Blaze takes a deep breath to calm himself. "No. It''s not about its weakness. With my current abilities, how can I exploit its attack?" Blaze observes the meat wheel closely. This time not trying to think too hard but only see what is there. It''s spinning in place to gain momentum and then release for a high-speed charge. Its attack is one straight line with the ability to bounce up. It cannot jump very high, but due to its massive size, it is enough to catch Blaze in mid-air. The meat wheel runs at him again, it bounces up a little due to a small mound of dirt on the ground. "Wait! That''s it!" A wheel needs even ground to run fast. A bumpy road will cause the car to bounce up and down repeatedly, hindering its speed and control. A light bulb shines brightly in Blaze''s head. He takes the Sun Bird and begins using it as a shovel, digging it into the ground and scooping dirt up. He creates piles of dirt and potholes on the ground while also keeping an eye on the Quarterback. Whenever it gets close, he always jumps to the side to evade it. "What is he doing?" Batrick says. They all are watching Blaze struggling from above. Seeing that he can handle himself well, none decide to interrupt. "He tries to create an uneven surface." Henry says. "What for?" Batrick scratches his head. "What does an ugly road do to a car, you idiot?" Dastan says. "It makes the wheel slow down." "Not just that." Preston says. "It will greatly decrease the Crisis''s accuracy. Creating opportunities to counterattack." "Well. What are we waiting for?" Dastan says. "We''d better get down there before the kid kills it. Then there''ll be nothing left for us." "Maybe... Maybe we should let him be." The Pale Harpy finally speaks up. Everyone looks at her. "You seem a little unwell, Miss Harpy?" Henry says. "Why do you suggest that?" Preston says. "It''s nothing. I just think that maybe he will not appreciate us interrupting." The Harpy tries her best to let out a normal smile. "She has a point. It is better for us to not snatch his prey." Preston says. "Are you kidding me, Captain? We can''t let a kid store our Crisis Core," Batrick says. "And what if the kid is able to kill the Crisis on his own? Will you face him then?" Preston says. Batrick gulps, not answering back. Preston may not be the most powerful of them, but he is the undisputed leader of the Liberty Sons. They all respect him. "Let''s keep watching. If his life is in danger, we can intervene. If not, we can say hi after the fight. The less enemy we make, the better. Remember, we are all C-rank here." Batrick silently glances at Henry. Except for this kid. Preston diverts his gaze to the fight afar, his focus is on the golden blade in Blaze''s hand. "We haven''t been able to see the power of that kid''s blade either." No summoning power is weak. That is common sense in Ranas. They all are wary about what that gold sword of Blaze can do. The ground around Blaze has been wrecked into a mess. Holes and piles of dirt are everywhere. "Come here!" Blaze shouts toward the Quarterback. It is spinning in place again, gaining speed by the second. And then it bolts to him. Blaze hides behind the largest pile of dirt. If the meat wheel keeps going, it will surely be bounced up and allow Blaze to stab the Sun Bird inside it with precise timing. The meat wheel tilts itself, almost to 45 degrees. It should fall over, but the friction keeps it going. The Quarterback takes a sharp turn, avoiding the pile of dirt, and attacks him from a different direction. It jumps up, aiming to crush Blaze on its way down. Blaze''s piles of dirt and holes are both his defense and his prison. He has nowhere left to run now, and the shadow of the meat wheel covers his entire body. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 23: Wheel of Flesh (2) Chapter 23 - 23: Wheel of Flesh (2)"Growing impatient, are we?" Blaze smiles deviously. The Quarterback isn''t that stupid. Actually, none of the Crises are. The Jade Snake tried to run away when it was losing. And now the Quarterback wants to end the fight before Blaze disrupts the field even more. Unfortunately for it, that is exactly what Blaze wants. "Sunrise!" Blaze screams, and a sphere of light envelops him. "What is that?!" Preston says. All the Liberty Sons also get closer to observe. That armor again! The Pale Harpy is once more starstruck. The ball of light collides with the wheel of flesh. The Quarterback is continuously grinding upon the energy sphere, but to no avail. Its flesh cannot penetrate the light. Instead, part of its skin is being peeled off. The Crisis has skin as tough as rock. Being slammed by it will be no different than facing a truck head-on. But its rock-hard flesh now proves useless. And then, an arm reaches out of the ball of light. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 99.99 seconds] The arm is covered in golden armor, shining and gleaming like the sun. It clenches its finger into a fist and punches straight into the meat wheel. The light dissipates, and standing there is a golden-armored warrior with a falcon helmet and a sword made of sunlight in his hand. The punch was so strong that it broke the Quarterback''s formation, sending it flying and sliding in the dirt. The Crisis roars like a beast. It is obviously in great pain. The fist engraves a shape onto its huge arm. Blaze darts forward, intending to end the fight without giving it any second to breathe. The Quarterback tries to return to the wheel formation again. Blaze will not be able to get close in time to stop it with the sword. So he uses the Force Shocker. Blaze opens his left palm and thrusts it forward. A bright blue wave with the shape of his hand shoots toward the Quarterback. He did not spread it to the cone shape, so its range is much farther, enough to reach the Crisis. The translucent hand hits the Crisis right in its forehead. Its tongue sticks out, and its entire body vibrates slightly. Force Shocker has stunned it and made it freeze temporarily. Buying Blaze just enough time to close the distance. Only three seconds pass, and its eyes suddenly retrieve their focus again. The Quarterback snaps back to reality, but meeting it is only another Force Shocker to the face. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 69.99 seconds] Blaze smiles under the falcon helmet. "This one will be easy." The second time, the Quarterback is only stunned for two seconds. But meeting it is another Force Shocker. The stun only extends for one second this time, but it is enough for Blaze to get in range for an attack. While wearing the Solar Armor, his attributes are greatly enhanced. This includes his agility, making him much faster than normal. The first image the Crisis sees when it regains consciousness is a bright, burning blade of sunlight thrusting directly at its face. The Sun Bird strikes forward in a straight horizontal line, piercing right through the Quarterback''s face. The blade goes deep inside its brain, almost to the crossguard. The others jump down from their hiding spot and approach Blaze. Batrick whistles and claps. "Fweet! What a show, kid!" Blaze pulls his sword and immediately jumps back, extending the distance between him and the Quarterback. "Hey, now! Don''t be so scared! We have no bad intentions." Batrick says. He is the closest to the Quarterback, walking past him while he''s speaking. "Get away! It isn''t dead yet!" Just as Blaze finishes his words, the Quarterback reaches its giant hand out and grabs Batrick. His entire upper body is easily grabbed by its palm, with only his head sticking out. "Damn it!" Batrick curses. No notification from the System means no death. Blaze knew this, so he tried to get as far as he could, anticipating whatever attack it may have. "Help him!" Preston shouts and kneels down on one knee. He pulls out the rifle from behind his back. The rifle is as black as coal and has a long scope on it. Pure red energy pours out of Preston''s hand and goes inside the gun, charging its power. The barrel shines a crimson color. "You idiot!" Dastan stomps on the ground, black energy covers his entire body, propelling him to bolt forward at an extreme speed, leaving only a blur behind. The Quarterback slaps its other hand in Dastan''s direction. He ducks down, slides beneath it, and then jumps toward Batrick. With a curved sword in his hand, Dastan strikes the gigantic arm that is holding Batrick. Sparks erupt from the point of contact and spur chaotically. The sword is unable to leave even a mark on the Quarterback''s skin. "What the hell?!" Dastan darts away, leaving a blur behind his back. "Its skin can withstand steel!" They thought the Quarterback wasn''t that strong, as they saw Blaze''s blade easily penetrate its skin. But no, the truth is much more terrifying. Vzzzt! S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A weird buzzing noise rings out. A straight red laser bolts forward and hits the Quarterback''s arm. It is unable to break through its flesh, but the red energy sticks on the skin and spreads out, eroding the outer layer of its flesh. The hold gets loose. Yellow energy bursts out of Batrick''s skin, and a sphere of forcefield materializes, pushing the Quarterback''s palm away and releasing Batrick. He drops on the ground and immediately rolls away. His chest hurts like hell, a few bones breaking and dangling. "Goddamnit! This cunt is strong!" Batrick curses and regroups with the Liberty Sons. Leon, the last one of the Liberty Sons, finally speaks: "Do not get in the crossfire." He aims his two index fingers toward the Quarterback, from the tips of the fingers shoots out a barrage of white energy, smashing onto the monster''s skin. It''s effective to a degree, the energy bullet leaves scorch marks on its skin, but the monster doesn''t seem to be bothered by it. "Tch!" Leon clicks his tongue. The Quarterback drops his hand on the ground, growling like a beast in heat. Its hand grows larger and more red at each second. "Stop it!" Preston shouts. The Pale Harpy finally enters battle. She flies on top of the monster and shoots down energy feathers. The feather sticks on to its skin but doesn''t seem to stop whatever it is doing. Leon also attacks aggressively. Preston charges his rifle again. Then, Henry blinks and appears in front of the monster. He does another traditional, normal punch like before. The ground around him cracks, and the wind screams in high frequency. Whatever this punch is, it definitely will be able to kill it. This is what everyone thinks, including Blaze. He is right beside Henry at this point. "Would you mind stepping aside, Henry?" The student council president looks over to Blaze. He remembers him vividly. There was an issue relating to Blaze and two other students. A male and a female. The female accused him of sexual harassment, while the male stated to have saved her. It is obvious that Blaze was framed. Unfortunately, he was a trashy back then, and the school didn''t even want to hear what he had to say. So Blaze was dispelled. Henry can''t even remember the names of the other two. They were nobody and had nothing special about them. But Henry remembers Blaze. His eyes are filled with the fiery rage of vengeance. "Never underestimate the power of anyone, including the trash." That is what Henry''s grandfather always told him. Henry also has a hunch that Blaze will surprise him one day. He didn''t think that it would be so soon. Henry recalls his power, the invisible aura around him dissipates. "We do no snatching here. You were handling it quite well yourself. It is our fault to interrupt. Please do not mind us and continue." Henry blinks away, leaving Blaze with the Quarterback. The Liberty Sons also retreat. The only one who is still nearby is the Pale Harpy in the sky. But Blaze doesn''t mind her. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 35.52 seconds] Chapter 24: Sundown Chapter 24 - 24: SundownHenry joins the Liberty Sons on the grandstand around the stadium. "What''s he doing?" Preston says. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I have no idea." Henry shrugs his shoulders. "Haha! That kid is so strong, Captain! We should recruit him!" Batrick says. It was rather embarrassing for him to be caught by surprise by the Crisis. But he forgets it fast. He underestimated the power of the Crisis. But no one blames him. Blaze was struggling at first with the Quarterback but after he transformed, the Crisis became rather weak compared to him. Blaze''s Sun Bird cutting through the Crisis is also misleading. This causes everyone to think the Quarterback has no durability enhancement. They quickly learned the truth, though. Preston shakes his head at Batrick''s statement. "The kid is what? Seventeen? His power rank is at least C3 or more. He will soon develop his power even further. A talent like him won''t waste his time with us. His playground is in the capital." "Sixteen, actually." Henry says. He is currently seventeen, and this is his last year of high school. After that he will have to choose his next path. It''s either the Academy, the Steel Legion, or the Underground Network. Each represents a completely different approach to superheroes. For example, the Pale Harpy belongs to the Underground Network, a group of superhero individuals working together. Blaze is only sixteen, he still has another year to decide. Batrick whistles. "Sixteen? Another monster like you, Mister Colson." Anya is squatting down on her knees and observing Blaze carefully. "What is he doing?" Blaze stands still, in front of the Quarterback. He puts the Sunbird inside the scabbard and rests his arms on its pommel. The Quarterback is slowly getting bigger and redder, becoming much more dangerous. If it were anyone else, they would strike down the Quarterback immediately, preventing the Crisis from gathering its strength. But Blaze doesn''t do that, and this puzzles Anya. "I don''t know. Maybe he likes a challenge." [Sundown is imminent!] [Sunrise Remaining Time: 9.99 seconds] The Quarterback, in some sense, is evolving its power. Previously, it only had its gigantic arms. But now its entire body has grown exponentially to match the arms. The Quarterback''s height increases from around three meters to five, maybe even six meters. Veins are popping off on its skin, and a hot steam covers its body. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 5.00 seconds] Its head starts to bulge and grow out a snout in the front. Its humanoid eyes are slit in the middle and turn yellow, resembling those of an animal. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 4.00 seconds] Grey fur sprouts from its pores, lengthening quickly and covering its skin. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 3.00 seconds] The Quarterback stretches its spine. The bone in its lower back bursts out of the skin and becomes longer. Flesh grows on the bone, and after it, the fur also appears. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 2.00 seconds] Anya steps back, her entire body is shaking like crazy. "We need to go! It can kill all of us!" Preston sterns his face. Anya only had a reaction like this once, and they were almost dead. "Everyone gets back! If things get out of control, run for your life!" Preston says. [Sunrise Remaining Time: 1.00 seconds] Sharp, white teeth burst out of its snout. Steam blows out from its mouth. The Quarterback is now turned into a giant creature with both the characteristics of a wolf and a human. "Werewolf? I heard about those movies before." Fantasy is a popular genre in Ranas. Werewolves, vampires, or even demons and angels are something very familiar in their entertainment products. "Sundown!" Blaze taps the tip of Sun Bird into the ground. The ground loses its color. And so is the sky. There is nothing more inside the stadium other than the shade of black and white. And then, everyone''s heart skips a beat. The yellow barrier appears around Batrick. Preston ducks down with his rifle in front. Anya, Leon, and Dastan all jump behind Batrick. Henry blinks away, no longer present on the grandstand. The ground around Blaze crumbles. A mini ball of sun is floating at the tip of the Sun Bird. And then, all the black and white are sucked inside the miniature sun. The color returns with a bang. The sun becomes a black ball of darkness, resembling an eclipse. First, a shock wave spread out, blowing the Pale Harpy away to god knows where. Then the black sun consumes Blaze. Everything becomes a blank slate. A shrieking sound of explosion fills the scene, everyone loses their footing. Some fall on the ground, others being blown away. The school is only a few hundred meters from here. The students are all inside the conference hall, the place where the prom was held. The ground shakes. Dust falls off from the roof. The students stagger around like drunkards, trying to stand and not fall down. It looks like an earthquake is hitting them. "What the hell is going on?" "Does the Void even have earthquakes?!" "Mommy, save me!" Henry appears inside the hall. "Everyone calm down! It is only a tremor!" The earthquake eventually stops, and the ground is once again returned to its peaceful state. Back at the stadium, everything is in rubble. The grass field is completely destroyed, no longer recognizable. The grandstand is mostly intact, with only the nearby structure being broken apart. Preston digs himself out of the pile of dirt and rocks, his face as pale as paper. "Motherfucker!" He rarely curses, but he does for this event. Batrick moves some boulders away, revealing him and the surviving Liberty Sons. No one was harmed, but they are all horrified. "What the actual fuck!" Batrick blurts out. Even a joker like him can''t find a hilarious thing to say. Anya lets out a breath of relief and falls straight to the ground, lying still. "I want a long vacation, Captain!" [You have gained 100 experience points!] [Mission progress is updated!] [Mission: Escape the Void - (Optional) Eliminate all the power sources of the Voidgate. Progress: 66.66% - Sub reward: Equipment Blindbox (Uncommon)] [The Quarterback has dropped x1 Half Wolf''s Core, x1 Berserker''s Blood, x1 Diamond Skin] [Detecting your Inventory cannot store all the items!] [Stop delivering items to Inventory] Back at the position where Blaze and the Quarterback once were, now there is a giant deep hole leading to the ground. The explosion was so devastating, it created a straight tunnel leading down to the city sewer. That was where Blaze and the Quarterback ended up. But the Crisis is long gone now, disintegrating into three items on the ground. A shiny pearl with the colors of red and grey, each taking up half the volume of the pearl, split down the middle. A vial of blood with the liquid inside visibly moving on its own. The last is a piece of leather. The Solar Armor has disappeared, leaving Blaze with only his sport clothing. The Inventory only has eight slots, six of them are already filled. There are items that don''t need to be kept inside the Inventory so he takes them out. The Grappling Hook has always been staying on Blaze''s wrist, hiding under his sleeve. He likes to keep it there. Blaze doubts anyone will connect him to the Wraith with this small device. The Matchbox is rather small and can be kept inside a pocket, so he takes it out. The Destruction Wand is also the same. This frees up the space inside the Inventory, leaving four empty grids. Based on William''s memories, the Core is a common item that Crisis leaves behind, which can be used to enhance the power of an Awakened. The people outside probably are going to question it, so Blaze has no intention of putting it in the Inventory. So he only puts the vial and the piece of leather in, leaving two spaces free. Blaze does wonder if he has no space in the Inventory, will the Blindbox just disappear or will it just materialize instead. A question for another day to answer. Blaze reaches out his hand and recalls the Sun Bird to his hand. [The Sun Bird has received a temporary effect (Recovering)] [Sun Bird (Recovering)] - Equipment Rank: Rare - Hidden Power: Sunrise (lock); Sundown (lock). - Recovering (temporary effect): All of the Hidden Power is locked until the item is fully recovered. Estimated time until recovery: 693:23:76 [Recovery time can be decreased by charging the item with its respective energy] Chapter 25: Barrier and Breaker Chapter 25 - 25: Barrier and Breaker"693 hours... That is almost a month!" Blaze says. The destructive power of the Sundown was so great, it can easily be compared to A-rank power. Hell, even several S-rank powers may not be able to cause such an effect. Genesis Legion is the most obvious one. Even though it is S-rank with three Sub Powers. It can never cause an explosion as destructive as this. But the drawback is huge. The Sun Bird is officially useless for 29 days. Even Sunrise is locked away and can''t be used. If Blaze knew about this in advance, he definitely would spare Sundown for more critical moments. But Blaze doesn''t regret using it. Sundown created a perfect opportunity for him to go out of sight. If the Liberty Sons and Henry saw the flying items and disappearing Crisis, Blaze really wouldn''t know how to explain it. Blaze put the Sun Bird back in the Inventory, leaving only one grid free. "The Inventory is almost full again... The Berserker''s Blood, Diamond Skin, and Jade Scale are pretty small. I probably can free up some Inventory space and put them in a backpack or something. A diametric cube is also ideal." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A diametric cube is a small, compact device used to store physical objects. Its inside is much bigger than its outside and is a magnificent invention of the X-21 century. It is the backpack for the rich, where everything can be stored in a handheld cube. Blaze can''t use all the experience to expand Inventory. He has much more important uses for them. A diametric cube will be a suitable replacement to alleviate some of the Inventory issue. He''s definitely going to buy it once he has the money. Blaze grabs the Half Wolf''s Core and climbs out of the sewer via the hole he blew up. The status of the stadium startles Blaze a little bit, making him think he has been sent into some apocalyptic future where everything was destroyed. But no, it is just the result of his destruction. Blaze scratches his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Luckily this is not the real world. The Liberty Sons approach him, they''re trying to navigate through the rubble he created. "You''re really crazy, man!" Batrick says. "It is a bit overkill." Preston nods. "What is even your power ranking, Blaze?" Dastan says. Preston glances over to Dastan, visibly reminding him to not poke into Blaze''s secret. "It''s alright if you don''t want to tell." Dastan shrinks his neck in guilt. It is impolite to ask someone their power level, but he is curious about the power that is able to level the entire stadium. "Oh, it''s just C-rank." Blaze says. "No way. A C-rank can never do this." Dastan says. "Yeah. But it''s not like I can do it anytime. It has very strict requirements." "Oh. So it''s one of those powers." "Enough." Preston interrupts. "Blaze''s power is his business. It''s not good to keep asking him." "I know, Captain. Sorry for intruding, Blaze." Dastan sags. "It''s all right." Blaze smiles. "What are you going to do now, kid?" Anya says. "I''m spent, have no strength left to do anything. I''m just going to the Voidgate and getting out now." "Have you taken the Crisis Core yet? It is very precious." "You meant this?" Blaze takes out a palm-sized grey and red pearl from his pocket. "Wow! That is a big core." Batrick says. "How did you find it?" The Core can be anywhere in the Crisis''s body. It is commonly known to take a while to dissect their body to locate the Core. "The monster completely evaporated. This is the only thing it left behind." Blaze says. Actually, the System disintegrated it, but it''s better to say it like this. The Liberty Sons all take a deep gasp and look at each other in disbelief. That Crisis was strong, and its skin can deflect metal. They can''t imagine the kind of power that is able to completely erase it from existence. Well, they actually don''t need to imagine and just need to look at the desolation scene around them. "You want this Core?" Blaze says. Preston nods. "We do. But it is yours. You defeated the Crisis fair and square. You can take it to the Pocket Center to get it extracted. If its energy is not suitable to you, you can sell it. We can buy it from you if it''s the case." Preston takes out a business card and gives it to Blaze. "Here are our contacts. You can call us if you need help as well." "Are you offering services?" "No. It''s just help from a friend. But if you want us to kill some fugitives, we can do that too. For a price, of course." "Thank you, Captain Preston. I''ll keep that in mind." "Well, I think this is goodbye. We need to figure out a plan to take out the last Crisis. This Voidgate won''t be staying for long." "Why is that?" Blaze asks. "You must have known that the Crises are the power sources to the Voidgate. They establish a connection to our real world. Once a power source is dead, the time the Void can maintain this connection becomes shorter. If all the power sources are defeated, all Awakeners will instantly be teleported back to where they came from." "Without needing to go to the Voidgate?" "Yes, that''s correct. But there is something weird about this Voidgate though. We aren''t from here, Blaze. We came here for a bounty. Based on our research, there should be quite a few B-rank Awakeners and superheroes." "But there isn''t any B-rank here? Is that what you''re saying?" Preston nods. "Except for the school president and you. All the B-rank Awakeners are nowhere to be found. It must be because of a Barrier." Preston can see the questionable gaze from Blaze, so he continues explaining. "Temporal and Dimension Barrier Matrix, TDBM. People usually call it Barrier. It can stop the Void from sucking you in. But it is very, very expensive and hard to maintain. Only a few can afford the Barrier. I didn''t think Akansa had it." Blaze suddenly remembers the device that William uses, the mechanical bug that can send Awakened outside of the Void. William only knows about its function but doesn''t know anything else about it. "What about a device that can send people out of the Void?" "Oh, you meant the Dimension Breaker? It''s also a rare item. It is much cheaper than the Barrier but also costs quite a lot. Awakened usually refrains from using it unless they have no other options." "Thank you, Captain Preston, for answering my questions." "It''s no big deal, Blaze." "I''m heading off now. See you again." "Stay safe." The Liberty Sons wave goodbye to Blaze. Blaze''s expression darkens after he turns his back to them. The Breaker isn''t cheap, but William has been given a lot of it. Aside from Alyson, Nadyr also gave William three more and asked him to bring any potential merchandise from the school. The amount of credit it took to gather these Breakers is not small. Whoever is behind Nadyr, they are wealthy and, obviously, also very influential. And all the B-ranks are also nowhere to be found. Blaze doesn''t believe in coincidence. Whoever it is, no matter how powerful and influential you are. I will find you. And I will kill you. Chapter 26: The Flying Saurus Chapter 26 - 26: The Flying SaurusThe last Crisis, the Flying Saurus, resides in the radio tower. It is the only Crisis that moves constantly, scouting the area and looking for any potential prey. Blaze equips the Tattered Cloak and gets to a high building, observing it. A poor pair of Awakeners is being targeted by it. The Flying Saurus flies high and dives down at an immense speed, using its steel beak to thrust at the targets on the ground. The pair of Awakeners is smart. They hide inside a small building to avoid its attack. However, they are stuck there. Every time they get out of the door, the Flying Saurus attacks, forcing them to retreat inside the building. This situation has repeated many times. Finally, the pair seems to give up and stay inside the building for good. No longer try to run away. They probably find that there is no reason to risk their life to flee. There aren''t any dangers lurking around anyway. All of the Hollows were massacred by Blaze, making the Void so much safer than it should be. Without him, the amount of death should be much greater. "The Liberty Sons probably will attack the Flying Saurus soon. They may regroup with Henry and look for some more help to guarantee killing the Crisis. There isn''t much time left for me." Time is not a luxury Blaze has. The more he waits, the more danger Alyson may be in. "It is time to end this nightmare." Blaze uses the Grappling Hook and gets on the scaffolding of the radio tower. They are renovating it at the moment, so several parts are under construction. The Flying Saurus flies in a circle around the tower, its sharp eyes scanning the ground, looking for any potential prey. The Awakened wants to kill it for its Core. The Crisis also wants to kill Awakeners to become stronger. It is the same relationship between the two. Both are the predator and the prey. Blaze raises the Destruction Wand and starts charging the black beam. He is in invisible mode so the Crisis doesn''t notice him. Without anyone bothering Blaze, he can use all his power to end the fight quickly. In the horizon, a small gleam of light is flickering. There is daytime in the Void after all, and it is coming. Blaze needs to kill it quickly before the sunlight neutralizes the Tattered Cloak''s invisibility. The Destruction Beam shoots out, howling in the air and bolting at the Flying Saurus. It hears the beam immediately and rolls in the air, dodging the attack. However, the beam follows it, turning sharply in the air and piercing through its right wing. The Flying Saurus loses its high altitude and falls down a few meters before gaining balance again. It quickly darts away in the sky, staying away from the area it was attacked at. The beam didn''t neutralize its flying capability. Only injured it. Blaze''s temples ache a little. The homing ability of the Destruction Beam is not omnipotent. It requires Blaze''s concentration and mental capacity. Staying awake all night and experiencing fights after fights have really hindered his mentality. Using the Destruction Beam hasn''t shown its drawbacks before, but it is now. The Flying Saurus flies higher, trying to locate its attacker. It has become more alert, ready to fight. Blaze uses the Grappling Hook to move to another side of the radio tower. A little headache won''t stop him. He charges the Destruction Beam again. Thirty seconds pass, and another black laser shoots out, aiming at the wings of the Crisis again. The Flying Saurus notices immediately this time. Instead of running away, it moves out of the way of the beam and dives down to the source of the attack, Blaze''s position. Blaze is still fused with darkness, and the Flying Saurus can only see the start of the black beam and nothing else. This confuses it a little bit but doesn''t stop it from attacking. Blaze uses the Grappling Hook to move out of its trajectory. The Flying Saurus breaks through the scaffolding, destroying the platform. The Destruction Beam disappears, no longer chasing the Crisis. Another limitation of the Destruction Beam is revealed. If Blaze moves from his original position, the black beam will lose its power and chasing ability. He uses it several times but has never encountered this issue. Purely because no enemies were able to counterattack him. In the fight with Nocturnal Animals, he stood far away, preventing them from attacking his position. This is not a problem for the Flying Saurus with its flight ability and immense speed. The Snake is gigantic. The Quarterback is both tough and quick. Now the Flying Saurus is cunning. It may be the hardest Crisis to attack out of all three. However, Blaze already has a plan to circumvent this. He jumps off from the radio tower and moves into a secluded building. Purple energy pours out of the shadow figure. William once again appears in this world. "Master!" He kneels down immediately before Blaze. "There''s a Crisis outside with the ability to fly. I need you to lure it." "I understand, Master." Blaze steps back and fuses into darkness. He gets to the second floor of the building and charges the wand again. This time he charges the Thunderbolt with Force Shocker, not the Destruction Beam. The blue light neutralizes One with Shadow and reveals Blaze to the world. Comparing the charged Thunderbolt and Destruction Beam, the charged Thunderbolt has more destructive power, but it cannot be used with the Tattered Cloak. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If Blaze uses it normally, the Flying Saurus for sure will notice the attack and dodge it. Without a homing ability, there is absolutely no chance for it to hit the Crisis. That is where William comes in. William D''Angelo gets out of the building, his feet are set ablaze, drawing all the attention to him in this darkness. The Flying Saurus sees him, but it doesn''t attack yet. It flies around, looking for that invisible attacker from before. "Smart bastard..." Blaze mumbles. Now is the waiting game. Blaze has to bet on its animalistic instinct and hope the Flying Saurus will attack William eventually. The Crisis is careful. It doesn''t attack William at all. The former leader of the Nocturnal Animals understands this and is also thinking about a solution to this problem. He is now a slave to whatever that being may be. Failed to help it in its course, and what''s waiting for him is a fate worse than death. "Alright! I have nothing to lose anymore." Except my sanity. William flies up and starts shooting fireballs at the Crisis. His fireballs fly in the sky in a curve, trying to hit the Crisis in the sky. The range of his Pyro Dash is horrible, so William has to kick the fireball up high, hoping it will drop onto the Flying Saurus. The Crisis easily dodges these slow raining fireballs. They cannot hit it, but it is a huge nuisance. William relentlessly throws more fireballs with his kicks. None of them hit the Crisis. But it is slowly and slowly approaching William. It seems like the provoke works. The Flying Saurus gets closer bit by bit. It is still wary of the invisible attacker, but that beam hasn''t showed up for quite a while now, and the tiny human down there really gets on its nerves. Finally, it decides to end the miserable life of the fiery ant. The Flying Saurus dives down from above, air screeching on the two sides of its wing. "Haha! Come to me, you stupid bird!" William turns around and runs for his life. He has moved quite a bit away from the building where Blaze is hiding and intends to get back there. The Flying Saurus bolts through the air, leaving a blurry afterimage behind its path. In the blink of an eye, it appears behind William, only dozens of meters apart from him. "Great work, my slave!" The giant white lightning shoots out from the second floor of the building, obliterating the wall around it and reaching the Flying Saurus. Chapter 27: The Last Crisis Chapter 27 - 27: The Last CrisisWhite lights fill the space, blue electricity shrieks in the air. The force of thunder slams on the Crisis, sending it flying into the building block, breaking all the structure on the way. Concrete and debris fall down, bury it under the pile of rubble. The entire body of the Flying Saurus convulses, its muscles spasm uncontrollably. It wants to get out and fly away, but the Shocking effect of the Thunderbolt stunned it severely. The only thing it can move is its head. The Sarus punches its beak up to dig out a hole in the rubble. It screams dreary for its life, blue electricity runs across its body. It is able to create a hole for its head to poke out. But there stands a shadow figure it has never seen before. Blaze holds the Destruction Wand forward, pointing the tip directly at the Crisis'' face. Then he starts blasting. The blue energy of Force Shocker pours out like a waterfall, entering the bone wand. Blue lightning strikes the Saurus again and again, repeatedly and relentlessly. The deafening noises of lightning take over the entire area. Blue lights flicker one after another. Lightning strikes smash the bird like hammer slamming on a nail. The smell of burning flesh fills the air. William gets closer to Blaze from behind. He wonders if he attacks the creature, will he be able to kill it. But the thought causes William to be in pain immediately. A symbol lights up in the middle of his forehead. William falls down to the ground, crumbling in anguish. Blaze does not look back and continues to blast the Crisis. He will not stop until he sees the System notification. [You have gained 100 experience points!] And there it is. [Mission progress is updated!] [Mission: Escape the Void - (Optional) Eliminate all the power sources of the Voidgate. Progress: 99.99% - Sub reward: Equipment Blindbox (Rare)] [The Flying Saurus has dropped x1 Dinosaur''s Core, x1 Pair of Dinosaur Wings, x30 Dinosaur''s Feather] [Detecting your Inventory cannot store all the items!] [Stop delivering items to Inventory] The Flying Saurus disintegrates into nothingness, leaving a blue pearl, a huge pair of blue wings, and a lot of feathers. After putting the Half Wolf''s Core inside the Inventory, Blaze has only one grid to store items. [INVENTORY] 1. [Snake''s Core] 2. [Half Wolf''s Core] 3. [x10 Jade Scale] 4. [x30 Snake Flesh] 5. [Berserker''s Blood] 6. [Diamond Skin] 7. [Sun Bird] 8. [Empty] The rest of the items Blaze is currently equipping or storing on his clothes. The Tattered Cloak, Destruction Wand, and Grappling Hook are equipped. The Matchbox is in his pocket. I should find a backpack to take something out. I should leave two grids to receive the reward also. Blaze thinks. The Escape the Void mission provides a Superpower Blindbox (E-rank) and an Equipment Blindbox (Rare). Two more items need to be stored inside the Inventory. Blaze turns back and sees William on the ground. He feels whatever William was thinking, so the slave mark instantly kicked in to protect its master. Blaze flicks his hand, stopping the punishment. William gets up immediately and slams his head on the ground repeatedly. "Forgive me, Master! Forgive me! I don''t know what I''m thinking!" "Stop. I don''t care. Go find a backpack or anything that can be used to store items. It needs to be big enough." "I understand, Master! Please wait for me!" William''s feet fire up, and he flies away. Blaze really doesn''t care what William wants to do. He is only useful now to help him save Alyson when the time comes. After that, it still will be eternity burning for him. It is a deserving punishment for a monster like William. He has ruined the lives of many girls, most of them were only students at Akansa High. Blaze sits down on the rubble. He takes out the Berserker''s Blood, Diamond Skin, a bunch of green Jade Scale and puts it on the ground. What even is the purpose of these items? Can you answer me this question, System? The System is kind of unreliable. It won''t answer him all the time and only gives very short statements. It also doesn''t answer him this time. These items look like materials. Maybe I can use them to make things? I should examine them more closely when I have the time. There is a more important matter at hand, though. Blaze now has four empty grids in the Inventory. He puts the Dinosaur''s Core and the giant pair of blue wings inside. The Core is valuable, and Blaze won''t feel safe leaving it outside. The wing is too large to store in any type of storage apart from the diametric cube, which he does not possess at the moment. The thirty Dinosaur''s Feathers are small enough to stuff in a container, so he leaves it outside. But why am I still here? Preston said when all the power sources are eliminated, Awakeners should be teleported back immediately. This can only mean one thing. There is still a Crisis out there. This theory seems the most possible for Blaze. But he has no intention of finding it. Waiting more time will push Alyson into danger, and God knows where the last Crisis can be. He decides to just go straight to the Voidgate. William runs back after a couple of minutes. He finds a couple of backpacks and even a suitcase. The guy is obviously terrified and is trying his best to impress Blaze. "Put the items on the floor into a backpack. Then you can return to the Clone Storage." "Yes, master!" William quickly stuffs everything into a backpack. The scales and the feathers take most of the space. The Diamond Skin is a bit too large, but William rolls it into a scroll and ties it to the side of the backpack via a rope. "Good job. You can go." "Wait, Master! I saw something on the way back! You may want to see it." "Is it far?" "No, only a few minutes from here." "Lead the way, then." William carries the backpack and runs in the front. He seems very energetic. After they are gone for a few minutes, people start coming out from the building. There are actually quite a few people around, almost hundreds of them. The area around the radio tower is the center of the city, most of the Awakened should be here. "Did you see that?" "I did! What a terrifying lightning power! It destroys the entire C-block." "Did anyone see the hero''s face?" "Superheroes don''t reveal their faces, idiot!" "Hey, that''s not true. Some do!" The Liberty Sons join the party a little too late. When they arrive, all they can see is the people gossiping. "Lightning power? It must be that shadow creature again." Anya says. "It is possible." Preston nods. "It took out a Crisis also." "Why does a Crisis kill a Crisis?" Batrick scratches his head. "They too want to become stronger." Preston answers. "It is a rare sight to see in the Mirror, but in the deeper layer of the Void, it is common knowledge that the monsters will try to kill each other to gain power." "Wait! The bird monster is dead. But we are still here. Does that mean..." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Anya says. "I think so too, Anya. There may be another Crisis somewhere. Or maybe it is the shadow creature. Whatever it is, my decision is to leave through the Voidgate immediately. Anyone want to object?" Preston says. None of them is confident in killing the Wraith. It may even kill them in return. And it is probably the last Crisis. The Liberty Sons don''t want to die pointlessly and all agree to follow their captain back to the real world. Chapter 28: The Wolf Cub Chapter 28 - 28: The Wolf CubBlaze follows William into a small alley. Inside, a huge white egg is floating slightly above the ground. The egg has some blue patterns running across its surface. Beneath its shell, a soft silver glow pulses gently and steadily like the beat of a heart. This is no normal egg, as none is as big as a human adult. "What is that?" Blaze says. "Right! I also had the same question the first time I saw it, Master. What do you think it is?" William says. Blaze approaches the egg cautiously. The egg seems harmless at least, but you can never be too careful in the Void. Blaze holds the Destruction Wand in front, ready to blast the weird object to the underworld if it even twitches. But no, nothing happens, and it floats in place without any movement. Blaze tries to touch it with his finger. Warm, soft, and smooth. It''s alive for sure. "Should we kill it, Master?" William says. Blaze doesn''t answer. He is too pondering that same question. With the power of the Lantern, Blaze can suck out any soul and enslave it. He doesn''t even need to store it in the Inventory nowadays as it is bound to his soul. The best way to check what this thing is but not kill it is maybe to suck out its soul first. Faint yellow light covers Blaze''s palm. He puts his hand on the egg, and quickly, the yellow light enters the eggshell. Blaze can feel something in there. He pulls his hand back, and with it, a yellow soul of a wolf cub. "What the?" Although it is obviously a baby with its unopened eyes and underdeveloped features, its size is too large for any wolf. The soul of the wolf cub is at least 170 centimeters long, dangling on the hand of Blaze. Blaze rolls his eyes. This is definitely not a normal animal. A giant wolf in the Void. There is no other explanation that it is a monster of the void. Blaze has seen Hollows and three entirely different from each other Crises. This wolf right here is likely to be a Crisis. Now, Blaze has to decide what he wants to do with it. It is harmless, and killing it will be effortless. But Blaze doesn''t really want to do it. As harmful as it can be when it hatches, right now it is still but an infant. I wonder... His irises turn yellow, and the energy around his palm radiates intensely. Usually, when Blaze enslaves other people, there will be a huge struggle and pain coming from the victim. But now, the symbol gently engraves itself on the wolf cub''s forehead. It does not resist or look to be in pain at all. [You have enslaved a Crisis!] [BEAST window is unlocked!] [The unhatched Crisis is delivered to Beast Storage (1/2)] The cub''s soul flies back to the egg, and both of them disappear from this world and now reside in the System. [Mission progress is updated!] [Mission: Escape the Void Mission Detail: You have been dragged into the void. Find a way to escape. 1. Escape via the Voidgate (Incomplete) 2. (Optional) Eliminate all the power sources of the Voidgate. Progress: 100% (Complete) Mission reward: Main reward: Superpower Blindbox (E-Rank) Sub reward: Equipment Blindbox (Ultra Rare)] [Congratulations on completing your first dungeon!] [STORE is unlocked!] [You have received x1 Inventory Expansion, x2 Clone Storage Expansion, x2 Beast Storage Expansion as rewards for your first dungeon] [Mission (Escape the Void) is accomplished!] [Estimated Remaining Time before exit: 30.00 seconds] [Your reward will be delivered after you exit the Void] Hah! So the last 0.01% of the optional objective is this little guy here. "You can go back now." Blaze says. William hands him the backpack before disappearing into the Clone Storage. Blaze uses the Grappling Hook to get on top of the roof of the building. His body slowly becomes transparent, a sign that he is teleporting back to the real world. He unequips the Tattered Cloak, returning to his true humanoid form. [INVENTORY] 1. [Snake''s Core] 2. [Half Wolf''s Core] 3. [Dinosaur''s Core] 4. [x30 Snake Flesh] 5. [Pair of Dinosaur Wings] 6. [Tattered Cloak] 7. [Sun Bird] 8. [Empty] 9. [Empty] With the new Inventory slot, Blaze has just enough space to receive the mission reward. There''s nothing left to do now except wait for the teleportation. Blaze sits down on the roof, watching the sunrise at the horizon afar. It was an eventful night. He buried his stepfather in the yard. Killed an unimaginable number of Hollows and also finished all three of the Crises. He even enslaved one. Blaze is tired, but his eyes are filled with determination. He still has work to do. Alyson is still waiting for him in the real world. He will need to get to her as soon as possible when he gets back. And also kill all those deranged scumbags that kidnap the innocent. "Nadyr Brozovic... I am coming for you." The figure of the boy in sport clothing slowly fades from the Mirror world, leaving nothing but destruction behind his path. The Liberty Sons and the majority of the Awakeners are at the Voidgate. They are leaving the Void when the body starts becoming transparent as well. Preston looks at his translucent hand and doesn''t know what to think about this. "It seems like the last Crisis was killed as well." "No way. Who killed it? Where? How? We don''t even hear any fighting." Batrick says. "It probably is that creature." Anya says. Preston nods and says: "I think so too. It has become strong enough to kill a Crisis without too much noise." "Why does a creature like it come to the Mirror layer?" Dastan says. "I don''t know. But it is best to report this to the Giants. They''ll decide what to do with this information." Preston says. Leon, the tight-lipped one in the group, also speaks up: "This city seems wrong, Captain. There''s just something really, really wrong with it. I can feel it." "I agree, Leon. It is the city of Angels in the end. It got this title for a reason." Preston says. Anya lets out a long breath. The City of Angels, where all Awakened come to have a fun time. Akansa is notoriously known for its prostitution. There must be a reason that it was able to develop this much and this quickly. One needs to think for a little bit and can come to the conclusion: "Where do all the girls come from?" Anya didn''t think much about it before. But now, she has some ideas. "Are we going to do anything about it, Captain?" Anya says. Preston''s expression darkens. His heart tells him yes, they must do something about it. But they have responsibility, people that they care about. People that will fall into harm if they decide to step into this hornet''s nest. Sometimes, you have to look away even if your heart tells you the opposite. "We can''t do anything, Anya. Liberty Sons? It is only a joke title amongst the mercenaries. We are nothing more than washed-up C-rank Awakeners. Those that were abandoned by the Federation, Vox, and the Order. We can''t change this world, Anya. We will only kill ourselves in a pointless attempt. Pretend like you don''t know anything." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But, Captain..." "Enough! Know your place, Anya. I am nothing more than a walking battery. Batrick is a measly wall. Dastan is no faster than a high school student. Leon can''t even kill a Crisis. And you, you have no combat power. What do you want to do, Anya? What do you think you can do?" Anya lowers her head in shame. She knows what Preston''s saying is true. "Just reported the anomalies. If the Giants want to, they will take care of it." "And if they don''t?" Batrick says. "Then that means it is their doing." Preston grits each word. All the people inside the Void slowly disappear, returning to where they are supposed to be. Chapter 29: Home Chapter 29 - 29: HomeKana sits on the sofa, biting her nails and shaking her legs profusely. She hasn''t gotten a single sleep throughout the night. No mother can sleep peacefully knowing their son''s life is in danger. Kana believes in no god, but she asked for every god there of to watch over her boy. Time feels like it is standing still to her, and the night seems endless. And the familiar figure materializes in the living room. She thinks she is dreaming for a second there, but when her boy speaks up, everything brightens again. "Hi, Mom!" Blaze smiles. Kana stands up and jumps at the boy, hugging him tightly. "Welcome home, kiddo! Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?" Kana walks around Blaze, checking every part of his body. The sports clothing is pristine, and not even a drop of blood is on its fabric. "No, Mom. I''m all good." Blaze says. He was slammed once by the Quarterback but that didn''t even leave an injury on his body. Kana lets out a sigh of relief. "That''s good. But where did you get these clothes?" "Oh. I snatched some while in the Void. Can''t walk around half-naked, you know." "I understand." "Mom. There isn''t much time. I need to go somewhere." "What are you talking about?" "You remember Alyson?" Then Blaze tells her about the kidnapping. He keeps the sensitive part out, like how he killed the Nocturnal Animals and trapped their souls, only telling her the part that is important. Kana''s bright expression fades slowly, her eyes fixated on Blaze and her jaw clenched tightly. "Poor little girl... She was so nice to us." "That''s why, Mother. I need to save her. Nobody else will." Kana stays silent for a long time before letting out a sigh. She knows she can''t convince her son out of it. She doesn''t know if she even wants to. Her precious boy is different, he may not be a hero who wants to save them all, but he is not the kind of man to stand still and let injustice get away. But letting him go means risking losing him. He is a man now. Sometimes a man needs to do what he needs to do. "Wait here." Kana runs away, into the basement. She takes out an old, dusty box from one of the shelves and gets back to Blaze. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Inside it is an old, odd-looking knife. It has a crescent shape with a curved blade. Its handle is made out of polished, smooth wood and is slightly gleaming. The blade is black, made of some unknown material, it looks like some type of glass because of its shining surface. "What is it, Mom?" "It''s a karambit. A traditional blade from some country in the East. It belonged to your father. He said to give it to you when the time comes. It will bring you power." "A blade from Dad..." Blaze reaches out his hand and grabs the blade. [Detecting Supernatural Equipment!] [Moonlight Karambit is registered] [Moonlight Karambit] - Type: Equipment - Description: A knife left behind by your father. Within it resides an ancient power of an unknown god. - Equipment Rank: Rare - Hidden Power: Darkness, Moonfang. - Darkness: Create a sphere of shadow that consumes all light. - Moonfang: The blade can create energy fangs that extend the weapon''s range. [Detecting Blood Oath within the item!] [Moonlight Karambit is bound to you] [Its rarity has increased to Ultra Rare] [A new Hidden Power is revealed!] - Blood Moon: Feed the knife your blood, and its blade will turn red. All of the weapon attacks now destroy magical and energy barriers. The dark blade lights up a white color. Its energy reaches out like tentacles and enters Blaze''s hand. A crescent moon symbol appears on the back of his hand. Kana stares at everything with her eyes wide open. She has handled the knife for a long time and never seen it react in such a magical way. Blaze rolls the knife in his hand, it feels like it was made for him specifically, a weird, familiar feeling connecting him to it. "Thank you, Father." "What is it, Blaze? How can you do that with the knife?" "It''s an artifact, Mom. It has power within it, the same as any Awakened. Father knew a day like this would come." Tears well up in Kana''s eyes. She tries to hold it in but fails. "He''s still looking after us after all these years. It''s my fault. I should have given it to you sooner." "It''s alright, Mom. You didn''t know. I don''t think the knife would react to me if I didn''t have power anyway." The System detects its power and helps bind the weapon to Blaze. Without it, who knows if the knife''s power can be used. "Take a rest, Mom. I need to get ready and go find Alyson. You just need to wait for my return." Kana nods. "I will always be here for you, kiddo." "Before that, there''s something we need to deal with first." Blaze goes out of the garden, and Kana follows him. With one simple blast of Force Shocker, the pile of dirt they buried Phuc in is dug up. "What are you doing, Blaze?" Kana seems truly puzzled. They tried really hard to bury this pig yesterday. "Just watch, Mom." Blaze takes out the Matchstick and lights it on fire. He throws it on the dirty corpse of the pig. A fire burst out of the decomposing body. Only a few seconds pass, and Phuc''s last remaining mark on this world has completely disappeared. "Wow! Why didn''t you take it out sooner?" "I just got it in the Void, Mom." "How convenient. I didn''t know the Void had stuff like this." Well, it doesn''t. But how can I better explain this now? Blaming it on the Void is the best excuse. Blaze thinks. Kana doesn''t even want to sleep and wants to wait for his return. Blaze knows she is stubborn, exactly like him, so he doesn''t try to convince his mother. "It won''t be long, Mom. I will return before noon with Alyson." Kana decides to cook something for the two of them instead of waiting around. After that, Blaze goes to his room to collect the reward of the mission, maximizing his power to get ready for the upcoming fight. [INVENTORY] 1. [Snake''s Core] 2. [Half Wolf''s Core] 3. [Dinosaur''s Core] 4. [x30 Snake Flesh] 5. [Pair of Dinosaur Wings] 6. [Tattered Cloak] 7. [Sun Bird] 8. [Superpower Blindbox (E-rank)] 9. [Equipment Blindbox (Ultra Rare)] "Let''s see what you''ve got for me, System. Open all Blindboxes." [Opening Superpower Blindbox (E-rank) and Equipment Blindbox (Ultra Rare)...] [Congratulations, you have received Beast''s Tongue (E-rank)] [Congratulations, you have received x1 Tattered Mask (Ultra Rare).] [Beast''s Tongue: You can understand animals, and animals can understand you.] Rank E: 0/200 [Tattered Mask] - Type: Equipment - Description: An old, cracked white mask. It has yearned for a master for millennia. [Detecting Set Piece between Equipment!] [Tattered Mask (Ultra Rare) is within a Set Piece with Tattered Cloak (Uncommon). Equipping them together will provide special hidden benefits!] Blaze smiles. A new hidden function within the System is now revealed. Before it was compatibility between Equipment and Powers. Now there are connections between the Equipment itself. Whatever it is, it will definitely grow Blaze''s power even more and guarantee a greater chance of success in rescuing Alyson. The Beast''s Tongue, on the other hand, is kind of useless. This power is actually notorious, a famous streamer is known to have this power. You may think that Beast''s Tongue can help you converse with animals and strategize some type of combat style. At the very least, it should help with production or pet-relating issues. But no, the truth is the animal rarely uses language. Even their own tongue is total gibberish when you understand it. An animal goes by instinct and behavior. Knowing how to speak with it does not guarantee its cooperation at all. Normal pet trainers even have a better chance at commanding the animals because they work with the animals'' core instincts. Beast''s Tongue is useful but not that much, so it got an E-rank deservingly. The famous streamer, however, got a lot of laughs out of this power and became successful thanks to it. Chapter 30: Inventory Check Chapter 30 - 30: Inventory CheckAnd then the metamorphosis comes. The change for this power is much less noticeable than powers like Force Blast or Genesis Legion. There isn''t any physical sign at all. But Blaze can feel something change inside him, specifically a part of his left brain. It feels like there is something moving inside. But it isn''t discomfort or hurting at all. In contrast, it feels good and fulfilling in a way, like someone is massaging the inside of your brain gently, releasing its strain and cramps. And then it comes back to normal again. Like nothing ever happened. But Blaze can feel that he has changed, minimally inside. [STATUS] [Name: Blaze Singer] [Age: 16] [Attributes] Strength - 11 Stamina - 10 Agility - 11 Dexterity - 8 Perception - 10 Endurance - 12 [Power] Force Blast (B-rank): 0/5000 EXP - Sub Power: Force Shocker. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Genesis Legion (S-rank): 0/100000 EXP - Sub Power: Genesis Absorption; Psyche Split; Legion of One; Genesis Soul. Beast''s Tongue (E-rank): 0/200 EXP [Equipment: Grappling Hook (C); Tattered Cloak (U); Lantern of the Damned (UR); Destruction Wand (R); Sun Bird (R); Moonlight Karambit (UR); Tattered Mask (UR)] [Experience points: 420] Blaze takes a look at his Status window. The current experience amount is not enough to do much. Force Blast requires another 5000 EXP to upgrade. Genesis Legion needs a whopping amount of 100000 EXP, any idea of upgrading it is thrown out the window. Beast''s Tongue can be upgraded with only 200 EXP. However, Blaze isn''t sure if it is a good idea to put experience points into it. "Before wasting my precious experience. Let''s check out the new functions of the System first." The short trip to the Void has unlocked two more windows in the System. The BEAST window and the STORE window. The Beast window is an icon of a simplified wolf head, while the Store has an icon of a small wooden shop. Blaze clicks on the Store first. [STORE] [Consumables] - Matchstick: 10 EXP - Blood Potion: 200 EXP - Mind Potion: 200 EXP [Equipment] - Grappling Hook (Common): 500 EXP In the Store, there are only two tabs. One for consumables and one for equipment. And it has only four total items for sale. Blaze already has the Matchstick and the Grappling Hook, so he knows what they''re about. But the Blood Potion and Mind Potion are new. He clicks on them. [Blood Potion] - Type: Consumables - Item rank: Uncommon - Description: Blood-red liquid synthesized by an unknown alchemist to heal wounds. [Mind Potion] - Type: Consumables - Item rank: Uncommon - Description: Blue liquid synthesized by an unknown alchemist to heal the mind. Blaze feels a little bit tired from all the fighting throughout the night. His body is good because it was enhanced recently by the Genesis Legion, but his mind is really on the brink of falling. He wastes 200 experience points to buy the Mind Potion. A small, palm-sized glass vial materializes into Blaze''s hand. Inside is a deep blue and slightly thick liquid. Blaze pulls out the cork on top of the glass vial. A puff of light blue smoke spread out from the mouth and quickly disappeared. The liquid has a slight sea salt smell to it. Blaze takes a small sip. All the strains in his brain relax, he feels much clearer and soberer. It''s as if he is cured of a hangover. Thanks to Genesis Legion, his body remains strong, but his mind still needs its rest. The Mind Potion helps with the mind, but Blaze can feel it''s only a temporary substitute, his mentality still needs its proper sleep. That will be enough for now. Then he put the Mind Potion in the Inventory. Its use is magical and will come in handy later. [BEAST] [Beast Storage: 1/4] - Unknown Wolf Egg: Estimated time until hatch 357:03 Beast Rank: Unknown (F to S) [Unhatched egg can absorb pure energy to modify the beast''s attributes and hatching time] [Suitable energy detected: Snake''s Core, Half Wolf''s Core, Dinosaur''s Core] [Fusing unknown energy to an unhatched egg can have a positive and negative impact on the Beast] The Beast window is much simpler than the Store with only one active tab. Along with it are some explanations of the hatching process. Blaze immediately takes out the three Cores. New windows pop up. [Snake''s Core] - Affinity to Unknown Wolf Egg: 23.76% - Chance to increase Beast Rank: 0.5% - Chance to awaken Beast Power: 1.2% [Half Wolf''s Core] - Affinity to Unknown Wolf Egg: 77.10% - Chance to increase Beast Rank: 89.33% - Chance to awaken Beast Power: 97.45% [Dinosaur''s Core] - Affinity to Unknown Wolf Egg: 52.00% - Chance to increase Beast Rank: 45.83% - Chance to awaken Beast Power: 21.42% Of all the three Cores, the Half Wolf''s Core is the most suitable to the egg. It only seems logical since the egg has the Wolf Cub soul inside. "You''re a picky one, aren''t you?" Blaze says. "Don''t worry now, since you are now mine, I''ll treat you properly. But before that..." Blaze holds the Half Wolf''s Core in his hand, purple energy pours out of his flesh and envelops the Core. [New Genesis Clone is unlocked!] - Werewolf Berserker: Genetic traces received from Half Wolf''s Core. The clone can use the Berserk State (C-rank) The clone skin has a hardened protective layer on it. The clone''s stamina is greater than that of the user (+2). Price: 2 years lifespan or 1000 EXP Blaze shakes his head due to the expense of the Clone. 1000 EXP is way too much for him at the moment. He then absorbs the DNA from the Dinosaur''s Core. [New Genesis Clone is unlocked!] - Winged Dinosaur: Genetic traces received from Dinosaur''s Core. The clone can use Steel Modification (D-rank) The clone has wings and the ability to fly. The clone has no natural defensive properties. Price: 5 months lifespan or 250 EXP "What is this power?" Blaze has never seen the Flying Saurus use Steel Modification before. He has no idea that it has this power. But then again, he finished it quite fast, and the Flying Saurus may not have the chance to use its power. The Half Wolf''s Core and Dinosaur''s Core are visibly one size smaller. The affinity of them to the egg is also lowered down. [Half Wolf''s Core] - Affinity to Unknown Wolf Egg: 72.50% - Chance to increase Beast Rank: 81% - Chance to awaken Beast Power: 90.09% [Dinosaur''s Core] - Affinity to Unknown Wolf Egg: 45.21% - Chance to increase Beast Rank: 38.67% - Chance to awaken Beast Power: 15.72% "I should leave the Snake''s Core and Dinosaur''s Core for the Pocket Center later. The egg can have the Half Wolf''s Core." Blaze takes the Half Wolf ''s Core and shoves it into the Beast window. [Unknown Wolf Egg is absorbing the energy from Half''s Wolf Core...] [Congratulations, the guaranteed rank of your Beast has increased!] [Congratulations, you Beast has awakened a guaranteed Power!] [Hatching time has decreased!] [Beast Storage: 1/4] - Unknown Wolf Egg: Estimated time until hatch 249:23 Beast Rank: D or higher Beast Power: Direwolf''s Bloodlust (D-rank) The Half Wolf''s Core completely disappears. Its energy fills up the hatching bar under the egg icon. "Almost 100 hours down. If I keep going like this, it can absorb around 3 more Cores before hatching instantly..." But Blaze has no intention of keep on feeding it. The System has informed us that absorbing pure energy can lead to both good and bad results. Blaze does not want to risk it. After that, Blaze takes all the useless materials out of the Inventory and stores them in his room. He will tell Kana to look after them later. Blaze likes to keep the Inventory spacious in case he has some more things to stuff in. [INVENTORY] 1. [Tattered Mask] 2. [Tattered Cloak] 3. [Destruction Wand] 4. [Sun Bird] 5. [x27 Matchsticks] 6. [Mind Potion: 2/3 full] 7. [Empty] 8. [Empty] 9. [Empty] [Equipped or Bound Equipment] 1. Lantern of the Damned (Bound) 2. Grappling Hook (Equipped) 3. Moonlight Karambit (Bound) Bound equipment is directly tied to Blaze and does not need to be put inside the Inventory. The Lantern is bound to his soul, while the Karambit is bound into a symbol on the back of his hand. They can be called forth at any time. While the Grappling Hook is always staying on his wrist, there''s no need to put it in Inventory. Now, Blaze has 220 experience points left. He can make some clones to aid him in his path or buy some potions. Or he can upgrade the Beast''s Tongue. Blaze decides to upgrade the E-rank power as he thinks it can be useful later on. "Upgrade Beast''s Tongue." Chapter 31: Soul Raven Chapter 31 - 31: Soul RavenChapter 31: Soul Raven [Power evolving...] [Congratulations, your Beast''s Tongue (E-rank) has evolved into Beast''s Eyes (D-rank)] [Beast''s Eyes: You can communicate with animals. You can see into the vision of an animal companion of your choice.] Rank: D (0/500 EXP) [Remaining Experience: 20] Veins are popping up around Blaze''s eyes. The feeling is similar to first acquiring this power, a satisfied sensation goes inside his head. It comes quickly and goes quickly, leaving Blaze wanting more. The veins around his eyes calm down and return to normal. "Share vision, huh? It''s actually useful. If only the egg was already hatched." Blaze mumbles. "But maybe I can figure out a way around it." The Lantern of the Damned appears in Blaze''s hand. Its Hidden Power Soul Slave can create a half-physical body for one of his trapped souls, enabling it to interact with the real world. Especially, he can create whatever body he wants for the soul. "I wonder if I create an animal body for one of the souls, can I look into its vision via the Beast''s Eyes..." Blaze goes down to the dark basement of his house and equips the Tattered Cloak. His appearance changes to the Wraith once again. "Now, which soul is suitable for the job?" Blaze looks into the yellow light inside the Lantern. In there, Phuc is burning with agony. Alongside him are Jake, Veronica, and the three remaining members of the Nocturnal Animals. All are suffering and screaming for Blaze''s forgiveness. The only exception is Isaac, the waterbender Awakened. He can see that Isaac is sitting down, his face fills with anguish and guilt, having no begging for his crimes at all. He is just silently taking the punishment Blaze is giving. "Interesting..." Blaze remembers this guy. He was the one who immediately lost his will for fighting and begged for forgiveness. Blaze pulls the soul of Isaac out of the Lantern and puts him on the floor. The yellow fireball expands into a translucent body. Isaac feels the burning stop and opens his eyes with surprise. The first thing he sees after death is the shadow figure who killed him and his accomplices. Isaac lets out a long sigh and lowers his head. "Vengeful spirit. Please tell me, what do you need?" Blaze smirks, the white crescent moon appears on the shadowy figure''s face. "You don''t seem to be so enraged?" "Why should I, spirit? It is my deserving punishment." "Elaborate. I want to hear your side of the story. Or if you''re not in the mood, I can look into your soul if you want." Isaac''s entire body shakes. He doesn''t know what looking into one soul can mean, but he bets that it isn''t good. Isaac sits on his knee and starts speaking. "I have done many bad things, vengeful spirit. Things that I know and you know are unforgivable sins. For it, I deserve to be punished. I have no excuse for it. Only that I regretted everything." The low, hoarse voice of the figure answers him: "You know that no amount of regret can change the past. It can never change what those girls had gone through and the many sorrows the people related to them feel." "I know, vengeful spirit. Because of that, I do not dare to ask for any reduction to my sentence. I am willing to be burnt for eternity more. To experience this unimaginable pain to repent for my sins." Isaac''s expression twists horribly, the light of his soul flickers just because of the thought of eternal damnation. He is truly scared of the pain. But he accepts it. "Interesting. But burning you won''t make any changes to this wrathful, unfair world. I am giving you a choice here. A choice to make up for your mistake by rescuing the people you have harmed and destroying the culprit. I am not saying that you will be spared from your sentence. But maybe. I''m saying just maybe, your soul may have a chance of redemption. Do you accept this task?" Isaac lowers his head to the floor. He does not even think for a second. "Whatever it is, vengeful spirit. I accept it." "Good... You will be my eyes from now on. The eyes of the sky. The eyes that look for those who have sinned. My messenger of retribution. Come forward, Isaac Everdeen. You will now be reborn as my raven!" Blaze holds up his palm, a raging yellow fire incinerates in his hand. [Creating Soul Slave...] [Please design the appearance of your Soul Slave] Isaac''s soul gets sucked inside the ball of flame. "A raven of the dark. Birthed out of sin and regret. It is tasked with becoming my eyes of the sky. To act as the watcher and witness for my vengeance." A pair of dark wings bursts out from the flame, spreading its feathers outward to the side. A raven is formed from the yellow fire, its feathers as dark as the night with gleaming yellow light acting as its outline. On top of its head is a weirdly huge eye. Two eyes reside on the side, and two more eyes in the back are blinking. A five-eyed black raven is born. The raven closes its wing and lowers its head. Isaac now has a physical body in the realm of the living. "Master! I am your eyes from now on!" "Good! Let''s test it out." Blaze closes his eyes, and at that moment, yellow color takes over the raven''s irises. A 360-degree field of view appears in Blaze''s mind. He can see everything in the basement as clearly as day. For the first time, Blaze sees himself in his Tattered Cloak from another point of view. His appearance truly is otherworldly and has an unsettling vibe to it. No wonder everyone freaks out when they see me. Beast''s Eyes does work with a soul in animal form. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Blaze opens his eyes again and the yellow colors leave the raven''s irises. "How did you feel?" Blaze says. "It is a bizarre sensation, Master. I can almost feel you taking over my soul." "Hmm. Alright. I will summon you when I need you. Return to the Lantern. You will not need to suffer for now." "Thank you for your benevolence, Master!" The raven turns into a fireball and flies into the Lantern again. The Moonlight Karambit appears in Blaze''s right hand while the Destruction Wand appears in his left hand. One close-range weapon and one long-range weapon. The element of the Moonlight Karambit doesn''t react to the Tattered Cloak at all. He can use both of them simultaneously, there''s no conflicting elements between them at all. "There''s only the Tattered Mask left." The weapons disappear into the Inventory, replacing them on Blaze''s hand is an old white mask. The mask only covers half the upper face of the wearer, stopping right below the eyes. Its edges are cracked and filled with questionable inky veins. When Blaze turns it over, he discovers that the inside is filled with foreign symbols and scribbles of an unknown language. But the most unsettling parts are the thin, black tendrils writhing on its surface, looking like they are ready to dig into the wearer''s skin the moment it is worn. The view causes Blaze to feel uneasy. [Warning!] [Warning!] [Tattered Mask is a soul-bound item! Wearing it will immediately bind it to the user as its forever master!] [Please consider carefully before equipping the Tattered Mask!] Invisible sweat runs down the shadowy face of Blaze. He has a bad feeling about this. It may be a one-way ticket to hell knows what if he wears this mask. Better try it out. Chapter 32: Soul Consumption Chapter 32 - 32: Soul ConsumptionBlaze shoves the mask into his face. The black tendrils behind the mask sprout out like snakes and turn into huge tentacles. They wrap around Blaze''s face and squeeze him tightly. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The ragged cloak covering Blaze also starts to writhe chaotically. It is as if the entire costume has sprung alive from death. The white mask begins to sink into Blaze''s face. It enlarges slowly so that it can envelop his entire head. The black tentacles do not loosen. Instead, they become transparent and smoke-like. No longer pose any pressure on his head. And then the mask cracks further. Golden crevices appear on its surface like a tattoo of an ancient civilization. Its patterns are primordial and frightening. And then the tentacles disappear. The white mask seeps into the face of the shadow figure, becoming its new face. A white face without any true characteristics of a human. It has golden pattern runs on its surface, gleaming slightly like stars in the night. Behind the figure''s head, smoke-like hair is floating, writhing, and moving like it itself is alive. [Tattered Mask is bound to you!] [A Set Piece has activated!] - Tattered Wanderer (2/6) - Set Piece Power: Arms of the Broken - Arms of the Broken: Pick any target, arms will burst out of the nearest darkness and hold the target in place. [Tattered Mask] Equipment Rank: Ultra Rare - Hidden Power: Fear, Faces, Voices - Fear: You can make any target fall into an extreme fear state toward you. - Faces: To anyone who is afraid of you, you can make them see you as the one they have the most regret about. - Voices: To anyone who is afraid of you, your voice becomes the one that they cannot disobey. [Tattered Cloak] Equipment Rank: Uncommon - Hidden Power: One with Shadow - One with Shadow (Upgrade): You can fuse with darkness to erase your existence. Light sources no longer reveal you once you have activated this power. Incomprehensible chattering and whispers overwhelm Blaze''s ears. It slightly lowers down until he only hears a few voices. Voices that he recognizes. Jake: "Kill me! Kill me! Kill me, Blaze! You coward!" Jake screams in anger and anguish. Veronica: "Please stop! I didn''t do anything wrong! I only did what everyone else does to the trash genes!" Veronica cries out, her voice hoarse and almost unrecognizable from the angelic voice she used to have. Felix: "I didn''t deserve this! Let me go! Let me go!" The cyclone man of the Nocturnal Animals bargains for his fate. Dylan: "Arrgh!" The least intelligible of the group. Only screaming and roaring is left with the ground man. Phuc: "I will kill you, Blaze! I''ll kill you and your mother, trashy! Then I will parade your mother''s body on the street!" Phuc is still despicable as always. The Lantern appears in Blaze''s hand. "Shut up!" He says. All the souls flicker from fear. Each hears a different voice. For Jake, it is the voice of his mother, the only person he dares not to challenge. For Veronica, it is the voice of her older brother, strict and cold. For Felix, it is the voice of William himself. For Dylan, a voice long lost to his memory, a dead friend of his resurgence. All four keep their mouths shut and no longer make any sound. All except for Phuc, he hears too many voices. The voice of his deceased parents, who never said they were proud of him. Then the voice of his former boss, always telling him he is a loser. His ex''s voice is also there, high-pitched and provoking like old times. Phuc doesn''t calm down. He becomes even more enraged and unstable. Curses and despicable words come out of his mouth. This bothers Blaze greatly. He really likes his silence. Blaze pulls Phuc''s soul out of the Lantern and puts it in his mouth. There is one function of the Hidden Power Soul Reaper of the Lantern of the Damned that Blaze has never used. The consumption of the soul. Phuc screams in pain. His yellow soul writhes in pain. He feels every bit of the feeling of being eaten alive. The feeling that his skin is being ripped off, the tear of his flesh and his organs. And then the crush of his entire being. Phuc''s soul has now completely disappeared from this world. His body was burned to nothing. Now his soul is eaten. Phuc is now officially gone from this world. [You have gained 50 experience points!] Blaze refrains from consuming the soul since he gained this power. The reason is he''s afraid that it may affect him somehow. Maybe the memories of the soul will get mixed up with his own. Or maybe his personality will get twisted to be similar to the soul. Or maybe he will become a horrifying, incomprehensible creature that is no longer human. But the truth is there are no drawbacks at all. Only more experience. Blaze smiles. This time, the shadowy figure actually emotes a smile. A creepy, unsettling smile instead of the white crescent moon, like always. His eyes are blood red and lust for those souls. Blaze pulls the Lantern up close. "Poor lost souls..." And then he eats them all. [You have gained 50 experience points!] [You have gained 50 experience points!] [You have gained 50 experience points!] [You have gained 50 experience points!] [Current Experience Points: 270] "Buy the Blood Potion." Blaze reaches his hand out, and a glass vial with blood-red liquid appears in his hand. He puts it in the Inventory, ready for it to be used in time of need. "Hah!" Blaze breathes out, yellow smoke of all those devoured souls fleeing his mouth. The last remaining piece of their existence. "Silence at last!" Blaze unequips the Tattered Cloak and Tattered Mask. The Cloak returns to his Inventory, while the Mask disappears into his skin. Blaze doesn''t seem any different at all. But he knows that Tattered Mask has become a part of him, similar to the Lantern and the Karambit. "So many bound pieces of Equipment. I wonder if it will have any consequences later." Blaze feels like there may be. But that''s a question for another day. He has prepared everything. Now is the time for war. Blaze put on a full black outfit, a pair of pants, a T-shirt, and a jacket of black. He goes to the kitchen to meet Kana one last time before departing. "I''m going now, Mom." Blaze smiles innocently, still acting like Kana''s precious boy even though he just consumed five souls. Kana looks at him for a while. It''s as if she wants to engrave his image into her memory. It may not be goodbye yet. But Kana doesn''t know that for sure. This moment now may be the last time they are together. She thought about preventing him from going. But she decided against it. Her boy is an Awakened now, and he wants justice. A true hero, not like those pretentious douchebags out there. Kana hugs Blaze tightly. She recognizes the huge size Blaze has grown into for just one night. Yesterday he was still only slightly taller than her. Now her head only touches Blaze''s chest. "Good luck, kiddo. And... Don''t die, okay? I can''t handle another funeral." "Don''t worry, Mom. The only funerals there will be are those of my enemies." Chapter 33: De Fallen Chapter 33 - 33: De FallenThe commercial district, De Fallen, resides in the far north of Akansa. It is the largest, most crowded entertainment area in Akansa. If you want to have a good time, come to De Fallen in the city of angels. On the surface, it is only a place for tourists and Awakeners to waste their money. Deep beneath, it is the biggest red-light district and prostitution operation in all of Ranas. The reason Akansa gets its title is because of De Fallen. Come here and you can dive in a sea of beautiful angels of Awakeners. It is one continuous street with several nightclubs, bars, and "entertainment establishments". The locals call them EE, a nickname whenever they want to look for company. Blaze has never thought too much about this De Fallen before. But now, he does wonder where all the workers come from. Actually, he already knows thanks to William''s memories. Blaze stands with William at the start of the street. Blaze is in his Tattered Cloak form with the creepy white Tattered Mask on his face. While William still wears the sports clothes of Akansa High. The place seems deserted at the moment. Trash litters the ground. Beer bottles are lying around everywhere. Staff from all the establishments scatter around to clean up the mess, preparing for another crazy night. "It actually looks much better than normal. Probably because of the Voidgate from last night." William says. He tries his best to act normal, but he keeps swallowing his own spit from time to time. Somehow William thinks that the Wraith may not be able to walk around in the day. No one told him that, nor does Blaze admit it. It just seems logical that a terrified creature like this should not be able to appear under the sun. But it does. William is afraid that people may see him accompanied by this spirit. But then he remembers he is already dead. So nothing matters anymore. "Let''s go." The low, crispy voice of the creature emits again. William notices the new face on Blaze, but he doesn''t dare to say anything. "The guy who is probably holding Alyson right now is Nadyr. He is the owner of the Roof." "I know. I saw your memories." William scratches his head in response. It is rather embarrassing, but he keeps talking, trying to prove his usefulness in front of the owner of his soul. "Nadyr is a certified B-rank Awakened. His actual power ranking is not known to anyone, but at least it is B3 or higher." Similar to C-rank, B-rank has five smaller levels from 5 to 1. The smaller the number, the more powerful the Awakened is and the closer they are to A-rank. "Nadyr''s power is Super Speed. At least that''s what he told us. He can move extremely fast and hit as hard. He may have Super Strength as well. Under him are five lieutenants. Rufus. B5-rank power. He can control machinery. His favorite attack is bombarding the enemy with his controlled robots. Dimon. B4-rank power. He can teleport a short distance. True teleportation, not like those Speedsters. He prefers to use a knife and is a beast at close combat. Slava. B5-rank power. He can control air. More specifically, he can suck out the air of others. I once saw him kill a guy by choking him like that. Timon. B4-rank power. A sand manipulator. This guy always wears a boilersuit, covering him from head to toe. Inside, it is obviously storing a lot of sand. The last is Sergei. This one is the only B3-rank Awakened. He is the scariest under Nadyr. I have seen many men die because of him." "Laser eyes. I saw Sergei in your memories." Blaze says. "Yes. What''s terrifying is the guy can constrict or spread his laser at will. He once evaporated a guy to nothing but ashes. Truly a powerful Awakened." Williams says. "Are you afraid of them, William?" "Yes, I do. My Pyro Dash may look flashy, but I will be dead instantly if I face those guys. They also aren''t the only B-rank there. Only the most dangerous one. With all of my team, I don''t even think we will survive attacking the Roof." "Is that so? Let''s see how strong these Awakeners are then." Blaze and William stop in front of a tall building. The Roof is a five-story mansion with a big backyard and a pool. There are many rooms inside, fulfilling the customer''s need for space. In front is the giant steel gate with two muscular guys standing guard. They all wear a white tank top and black pants. The white top is slightly pink-colored. It is the sign of washed-out blood on their shirt. A way to tell their peers and the people around them that they are men of violence and crime. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They have tattoos covering their entire arm and a signature moon tattoo on their chest. A symbol of their gang. They don''t have an official title, but people call them the Moon Goons. A ridiculous and stupid name, according to Blaze. "Yo, William! The merchandise came up just in time! You are as punctual as always." One of the guards says. William doesn''t say a word, he looks over to Blaze. The guard squints his eyes. They are familiar with superhero antics, so some Awakened wearing their costumes to their establishment is nothing new. "Who is your friend over there?" "I am the Wraith. I have a business proposition for your boss." Both of the guards square up, getting ready for any combat. A proposal like this can very well be a provocation from other gangs. "We don''t know you." "But I know William. And I am a B-rank." Blaze points the Destruction Wand on the ground. Lightning strikes and leaves a burnt dent on the street. "Pardon me for the costume, but it is a requirement for our organization." The guards are quite startled due to the lightning but quickly recover themselves. They cautiously observe the destruction Blaze left behind. They are both C-rank and can recognize the scale of a power. Blaze pushes William forward. "Guys! Come on! You know me. Let me and my friend here speak with Nadyr. He''s only a B-rank. What can he do?" "And what if you lead a B2 or B1 inside our establishment? Hell, I don''t know. This guy can even be an A-rank." "If I were an A-rank, I wouldn''t even speak to you right now." "Alright. Show us your power badge then." Power badge, an identification inside Ranas that is as critical as the credit code. The credit code is registered so that all citizens of Ranas can buy, sell, and trade. Most importantly, it allows the citizen to possess their official currency, Ranas Credit. People usually only call it credit. The power badge is registered by the Awakened League. An organization created by the Three Giants to monitor all of the Awakeners in Ranas. It is equivalent to any citizen identification in other countries. The only difference is it is also an evaluation of one''s power. William silently sweats. He doesn''t even know if this being has a power badge. Blaze takes out his Destruction Wand. He has no time for these ordeals. If they won''t allow him to infiltrate, he will make his way inside by force. "Step aside, or I will make you!" "Heh! I know you are trouble!" Before the fight begins, a voice from behind Blaze interrupts them. "What are you doing, boys?" A skinny, tall man appears. Alongside him are five humanoid robots. Chapter 34: The Roof Chapter 34 - 34: The RoofA five-eyed raven circles around the Roof. Its 360-degree view scans every detail of the area. A five-story-tall mansion with a giant glass door at the south, leading to the backyard and the pool. A main entrance at the north, facing the front gate where Blaze is right now. A small side door at the southeast that is completely shut. There are no terraces on the second stories. Only several windows span all around the wall and are symmetrically distanced from each other. The windows are small and rectangular. Not enough for anyone to go through and even have steel bars installed on it. The third stories have bigger rooms, with each room housing a balcony and a big glass sliding door that can be looked inside. The raven can even see some people getting it on in those rooms. Not all are consensual. The fourth and fifth stories are where the true party and depravity are at. It combines together into a mini penthouse with the fifth floor acting as an outdoor roof bar. People are having all kinds of wild shit in there. Drinking beer, taking questionable substances, and doing it. Isaac can see most of the Awakeners on the roof. There is Dimon, a huge guy with a dark skin tone, having a huge laugh with some of his pals. But then a customer is having an argument with a girl there. Dimon''s expression turns stern immediately, and he disappears in a white smoke. Only to reappear next to the customer and slap the girl falling down to the floor. Dimon then says something to the guy while having some people drag the poor woman away. Slava, a bearded and skinny dude with blonde hair, is sitting on the sofa and stretching out his arms to the side, hugging both girls that are beside him. There are a few Awakeners sitting with Slava, all watching a poor girl being tied up on the floor. Slava occasionally sucks the air out of the poor girl to make her gasp for air, and once she is on the verge of suffocating, releases oxygen for her to breathe again. A sick routine just to entertain his fellow ''friends'' that are watching. Sergei, the strongest of the five lieutenants, is the most ordinary. He''s the only one that wears the pink tank top like the foot soldier. Sergei sits beside the bar counter with a cigarette in his mouth, constantly watching the scene and gesturing the henchmen around if needed. There are three lieutenants on the rooftop and a lot of Awakeners. Not counting the customers, there are at least five more B-rank and around twenty C-rank. All the people that Isaac can recognize. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now that he is officially on the other side of them, he can see the horror that he was contributing to outright. Different from the other members of the Nocturnal Animals, Isaac never went to the Roof. He''s only around where a job is present. He needed the money, and that is all he cared about. Good guy or bad guy was a blurred definition in Isaac''s mind. He was pragmatic about it. He thought he was neither good nor bad. He was simply just a criminal. He harmed other people and gained a profit from it. What happened to the people he harmed, however, was none of his business. Without him, there would be others who stepped up for the job. But now, facing the reality of his action. The raven can''t do anything but focus on his task. His master is right. Nothing he does can change the past. But he will do his best for his redemption. The raven flies around the Roof a few more times before lowering down to the fourth floor. There is no more intel that can be gathered on the rooftop, and Isaac doesn''t spot Alyson. He needs to locate her. The fourth floor has all the walls made of glass. It has curtains to cover the interior, but most of them do not close it. They like to do it publicly, it seems, and Isaac can very well see the inside. All the girls are being violated there. Most are very cooperative. Isaac had heard about this situation from William before. Only the good girls or the hot girls are allowed to serve customers on the fourth and fifth floors. No Alyson on the fourth floor either, but there is someone else. That is... Isaac lands on the edge of the building and pokes his beak onto the glass wall. Inside, a woman with white hair is being tied down to the bed. Her eyes are being covered by a black cloth. She is the Pale Harpy. Somehow, she ends up here after the Void. The last time Blaze saw her was when she was being blasted away due to the explosion at the stadium. She''s still wearing her uniform at this moment. "Who''s there?" The Pale Harpy speaks up, her voice shaking. Isaac looks around. There is a window in this room, but he doesn''t know if he can open it. Wait a minute. I''m a ghost, for God''s sake. I don''t need a door. Isaac suddenly remembers he is already dead. His body turned back to the yellow fireball and phased through the glass material. He turns back to the raven inside, jumping up to the bed, and uses his beak to pull the black eye cover out. The Pale Harpy is startled and even more puzzled when she sees a bird on the bed. "What are you?" "Shhh! Quiet down!" Isaac uses his tiny black feet to gesture shut up. "I can feel that you are Master''s servant. How are you here?" The raven says. The Pale Harpy''s eyes open wide. "Are you with him?" "I am." "Can you release me?! They are going to rape me any minute now!" "I''ll try." Isaac looks around. On the girl''s ankles and feet, there are some sorts of devices locked onto them. Black pieces of metal cuff. It''s probably a dampening device that''s hindering the uses of her power as of this moment. Isaac is somewhat familiar with this device. There is usually a master key somewhere. He hops down from the bed and moves carefully to the doorway. Outside the hallway, there are two guards. One is half asleep, while the other is standing next to a window to smoke. The five red eyes blink rapidly, trying to locate the master key. On the waist of the sleeping guard, a black rectangular piece of device is tucked into his pants. It looks similar to a remote but is half the size. Bingo... Isaac carefully walks to the guard. Flying will cause too much noise, so he can only do this to avoid attracting attention. When he comes under the guard, Isaac does a little hop and grabs his feet onto the back of the chair. Even though it is an entirely different type of body from the one Isaac used to have, he feels incredibly familiar with it. It feels like he is actually a raven. It helps him control the body really well, and he does not need to worry about getting used to it. He slowly reaches his beak out to take the key. "Huh?" The guard suddenly jerks his head around. Isaac freezes in motion, his red eyes all looking at the guard at the same time. The guard makes some weird noises, then lowers his head again and continues sleeping. Isaac continues pulling the key out. And it is a success. He wastes no time to get back to the Pale Harpy and gets the key to her hand. The Pale Harpy presses some random buttons until the cuff on her limbs releases. Energy feathers immediately appear and cut her restraint. "Gah! Thank you, little bird! I''m getting out of here!" "Wait! Master is here, and he has work to do. I strongly advise you to stay and help." The Pale Harpy frowns and doesn''t answer. "I don''t know how you become his servant, but he is not a forgiving being. If he finds out you walk away, I cannot guarantee safety to you. If he asks, I will have to say everything." The Pale Harpy sighs. "You''re right. I''ll help you. My name is Rae. What''s yours?" "Isaac." Chapter 35: We kill everyone Chapter 35 - 35: We kill everyoneBlaze tilts his head slightly to look at Rufus, one of the lieutenants under Nadyr. The guy is tall and skinny, looking exactly like a long pole. He wears a white shirt with a tie and a pair of gray pants. Rufus has short black hair mixed with slightly grey hair and a stubble beard under his jaw. The robots alongside him are at least 2 meters. They have a white, smooth surface for the main body and black metal limbs. The robots have no facial features at all, only a large camera in front acting as its eye. There is also a camera in the back of its head. "Rufus! This guy is trying to cause trouble!" One of the guards says. Rufus examines Blaze but quickly brushes him off when he sees William. "William, my boy! Nadyr has been talking about you! You are as efficient as always. We have already received the Lioness!" William sweats heavily, screaming inside. Shut up! Shut up, bitch! You want to get me burned or what! Blaze acts nonchalantly and speaks up. "William. Why don''t you introduce us?" "Ah, yes! This is my friend, Rufus. Rufus, this is..." "I am the Wraith. And I come here with a proposition to Nadyr." "Oh! You''re a B-rank?" "I certainly am." "You have a power badge with you?" "I don''t have a power badge." Blaze shakes his head. Rufus laughs out loud. "Oh... You''re one of those. William, you haven''t told me that you do border jobs as well?" William scratches his head. "Yeah. I am only starting, so... Yeah..." "Move aside, boys. Why keep our customer waiting?" Rufus says to the guards. "But Rufus, we don''t know this freak." "What?! Are you disobeying me now? Do you know who opened this place, dickheads? Not even an A-rank dares to cause trouble. Just keep doing your job and keep junkies and trashy away from our establishment. Your job is not to deal with these high-profile shits, alright?" A robot suddenly grows taller, reaching three meters tall. All of its hands turn into blade edges, aiming at the guards. "I''m sorry! I''m sorry, boss! Let us open the doors for you!" The guard quickly opens the gate and then stands to the side with their head lowered. "Stupid mofo!" Rufus waves his hand. The robots turn back to being docile, looking nothing different from helper robots. "Come, friend! Let me lead you to Nadyr." Rufus leads the way. Blaze and William follow. A raven flies down from above and lands on Blaze''s shoulder. It whispers something into his ear. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Oh! You are a Manipulator too, I see?" Rufus says. A Manipulator is an Awakened with the power to control objects, constructs, or specific beings. This can range from machinery constructs like Rufus''s power to animal companions like he assumes Blaze has. A very common power category in Ranas. But not to be mistaken for Controller, which is mostly element users like William and Isaac. Blaze nods toward the raven, and it flies away. He then answers Rufus'' question: "You can say so." "What''s up with the getup? I''m not trying to pry, but that is an unusual costume. That face too, you did cosmetic surgery, didn''t you?" The white surface with golden patterns is embedded on the figure''s face. One looks, and people can easily realize that it is not a mask. "No. Not really." "Not a talkative type, are you? Well, don''t worry. We have a guy like that too. Sergei is also not a fan of small talk. You are probably going to be good friends with him. So, what''s your goal here, Wraith? Want to buy some girls, or are you intending to open a franchise?" "You can say that I am interested in a girl." "Haha! I knew it. Don''t worry, buddy. One girl or two girls, as long as you have the credits, they are all yours." Rufus then takes a look at William. He notices William''s nervousness and the green scales hiding under the collar. "What''s wrong with your neck?" "Oh, um... I think I just awakened another power." William tries to think of something to say. "No way. A second awakening? You are blessed, William. No wonder you are Nadyr''s favorite. Where are the other boys at?" "We encountered a strong Crisis. They were... injured, so they had to visit the Pocket Center." "I see." A robot opens the door for the three to go inside the Roof. The first floor of the mansion is a rather normal looking house with a long white hallway and wooden floorboards. Rufus takes off his shoes and puts them in a container on the side. "House rule. You can''t wear shoes inside the roof. Sorry about that." "It''s alright. I don''t wear any shoes." Black surface covers Blaze''s entire feet. It is hard to decide whether he is wearing something on his feet or not. William, however, removes his shoes as he always did when coming to the Roof. Rufus keeps the smiling facade and doesn''t say anything. Unknowingly, the robots are all standing around them. The three walk a few more steps inside when a robot''s arm turns into a blade and thrusts Blaze from behind. William immediately scales up. A green layer covers his forearm, forming a natural protective shield. He steps behind Blaze and blocks the strike. "What''s the meaning of this, Rufus?!" William shouts. Rufus retreats farther into the hallway, still smiling. "Stop the charade, shapeshifter! I know you aren''t William." All the other robots transform. One robot has its arms turned into cannons. One forms a large shield and stands in front of Rufus. The third becomes bigger, with its figure almost covering the entire hallway. The fourth stays the same but lowers its body and stands on four feet. The fifth is the bladed robot who just attacked Blaze. "What are you talking about, Rufus?! I am William!" "Right. Keep lying, fucker." Blaze looks down to the ground. The Destruction Wand appears in his hand and shoots out lightning. This is a normal Lightning Strike, not the enhanced version, Thunderbolt. The wooden floorboards get destroyed, revealing a particular machine underneath. "A scanner, eh? This is how you know William isn''t William, am I correct?" Rufus doesn''t answer. "What do you mean, Master? I am who I am." Blaze shakes his head. "Your body isn''t anymore. They probably checked your DNA." "What?!" Rufus squints his eyes. "Keep acting, fools. Your pathetic life ends here." The skinny man waves his hand. The cannon robot immediately shoots two electrical balls toward Blaze. "Darkness." The Moonlight Karambit appears in Blaze''s hand, and from within it pours out unimaginable darkness that fills the hallway. The electrical balls and all the robots are consumed within the shadow. Rufus gasps and turns his back to run away. All the robots follow suit. A white crescent-shaped energy blade shoots out of the dark sphere and strikes Rufus. His body is sliced in two. The mechanical parts drop on the ground. Rufus, the person who they were speaking to, is only an android. Blaze steps out of the sphere. The shadow disappears, revealing all the robots being cut into pieces on the ground. "A decoy. How predictable." Blaze says. "Master! What do we do now?" An alarm noise filled the Roof. Black bars drop down at the door behind them. There is no going back now. Blaze simply says: "We kill everyone." Chapter 36: Nadyr Brozovic Chapter 36 - 36: Nadyr BrozovicA horde of men rushes out to the hallway where Blaze and William are currently in. They all have weapons in their hands. Some possess machetes. Some wield baseball bats. A few hold knives in their hands. And fewer hold nothing but their fist. Blaze scans the enemies. They aren''t showing any particular powers at the moment. He just has to improvise his way through. "You choose the wrong EE to cause trouble, cocksucker!" "We''re gonna bash your skull in!" "What are you doing, William?!" Some recognize the leader of the Nocturnal Animals right away and begin questioning. A goon picks up a call and nods repeatedly to someone on the other line. "That''s not William. It''s a shapeshifter. Rufus confirmed it." "Haha! So that''s why!" "Kill them, boys!" In the basement of the roof, a yellow fireball phases through the walls, looking for something. The basement of this mansion is incredibly huge. They have a room full of cages and iron beds. Isaac can see some girls being held here. His soul flickers due to the scene, showing the turmoil inside his mind. Was I really just a criminal? The more he sees the reality of what he got himself into, the more regret he feels. Isaac chose to look the other way. But now, it comes crashing down on him. The guilt is almost unbearable. He thought he was irredeemable. Now, he thinks he deserves to rot in hell forevermore. And then he finds a particular room. A room with five capsules standing. The capsules hold women inside. Isaac can see they all have some type of wound, extremely serious wounds. A light blue liquid fills the capsule, and each girl has a breathing mask strapped to their face. The notorious Nadyr Brozovic is actually here, standing in front of the capsules and watching the girl. A man rushes in from outside. Isaac hides himself in the corner of the room, observing the scene. "Boss! Someone is attacking us!" The nameless goon says. Nadyr turns back. The guy has a buzz cut with shaved sides. He''s huge, almost reaching 2 meters in height. He''s a walking tank with bulging muscles in every part of his body. His shoulder is broad and towers over the nameless goon in front. Nadyr wears a white tank top instead of pink. He has never had bloodstains on his shirt. A moon tattoo visibly lies on his left chest. "Who?" "We don''t know! Some freak with a black cloak and a shapeshifter in William''s appearance." "Hmm." Nadyr takes out a phone, trying to connect with someone, but all he gets is the long beeping sound. "William has gone MIA for a few hours. Even in the Void, he should be able to contact us. William is probably dead." "What do we do now, Boss?" "Call Rufus. Tell him to report this to our sponsor." "What? Is it that serious?" "William may be a C-rank, but he is in the high tiers of the C. Whoever killed him is at least a B-rank. And they come here themselves. No one is stupid enough to walk into a death trap. They have the confidence to wipe us all out." Nadyr clenches his fist, veins popping up on the skin like snakes. "Gather all our men. Do whatever it takes to kill the intruder. Find two B-rank Awakeners and assign them here. Make sure no one gets in here and ruins the merchandise. These are all the high-quality virgins. They are valuable." "Understand, boss!" Then the men leave the room. Isaac turns back into a raven and flies over to the capsules. There are five girls here, and even though they are covered in medical equipment and blue liquid, Isaac can still see their faces. Alyson is here, floating in one of the capsules. The machine is treating her at this moment, nursing her wounds and recovering her health. So this is why William said as long as they aren''t dead... Advanced regenerating machine. This can even pull a man at death''s door back to the living realm. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She is unharmed. That''s a relief. Isaac takes a closer look, and apart from the wound he and his team inflicted on her, no other wounds are visible. Well... Saying she is unharmed is an exaggeration. I did harm her. Locating Alyson mission is completed. All that is left now is making sure she is okay until Blaze comes. This task can be too much for a little raven. But he has the Pale Harpy. While Blaze is attracting all the attention, he and the Pale Harpy can rescue the girls. It is also one of the missions Blaze gave him. Locate all the victims and save them. Isaac flies away to find the Pale Harpy. "Boooom!" Thunder roars. A man flies through the wall, breaking it to pieces. His entire body is burned to a crisp, dark like overcooked meat. The naked girl and the naked man inside the room screamed aloud. A shadow figure walks in. He looks down at the man one last time before stepping on his head, crushing his brains to pieces. [You have gained 100 experience points!] A C-rank Awakened is killed. Behind Blaze, a number of men are still standing, most of them with burns on their skin. A lot of them lie motionless on the floor, no longer breathing. "What''s the meaning of this?!" The naked man in the room shouts. Blaze looks over. A girl is being tied on to the bed and the other, a fat pig that looks a lot like Phuc. "Filthy pig!" Blaze says, pointing the Destruction Wand at him. Blue lightning shoots out, sending the man flying onto the wall. Blue electricity overwhelms him and cracks the wall behind. [You have gained 50 experience points!] A mere D-rank. "Release the girl." Blaze gestures to William. He immediately runs toward her. The fight has only begun for a bit. All William has to do is watch and release any girl they come across. "What are you doing here, freak?!" One of the men in the hallway shouts. Blaze doesn''t answer. He rotates his head, cracking his neck, and raises the bone wand again. The men scatter to avoid the shot. But in this narrow space, they have nowhere to run. Thunder roars again, deafening the ears of everyone present. The naked girl covers her ears but still gets stunned by the sound. The blue lightning strikes at a goon, bursting his head into pieces. [You have gained 100 experience points!] Another C-rank Awakened eats the dirt. Having superpowers or not, these scumbags still cannot escape the only rule that applies to all mankind. Everyone dies. "Get close to him! We cannot let him kill us from a distance one by one!" A goon yells, and they all charge at him. The Moonlight Karambit appears in Blaze''s left hand. "Darkness!" A dark sphere envelops the hallway again. William continues to release the girl, not even looking at the scene. Blaze is way more powerful than he can imagine. He thought he could prove useful coming here with Blaze and help him in the fight. But in reality, he''s just simply a guide and an errand boy. The naked girl is repulsed when William gets close. "Don''t be scared. I''m just releasing you!" "I know you! You are William D''Angelo! You lured me into this place, don''t you remember?!" The girl yells at him with all her being. William freezes in place. Then he sighs. "Yes, I did. But that''s not who I am anymore. I am now a servant to Master. I''m here to rescue you." "That guy... Who is he? Why is he doing this?" "He... He is the Wraith. He''s doing this because it is the right thing to do." The girl looks over to the dark and frightening hallway. Even though darkness represents a primordial fear in mankind, its shadow is now more soothing than everything in this girl''s life. That darkness is now her salvation. Chapter 37: Horror of the Dark Chapter 37 - 37: Horror of the DarkIn the shadow of the sphere, dread fills the hearts of the criminals. One man brings a flashlight with him, so he takes it out. Thunder roars in this abyss. A man flies past him and then drops on the ground, motionless. The smell of cooked flesh fills the space. The man tries to turn on his flashlight, but it is only flickering. Another man besides him is covered in electricity. He wobbles in place for a few seconds before falling face first on the floor and dies. Sweat covers the goon''s face. He frantically bashes the flashlight, hoping it will turn on. The light flickers even more, but nothing. Another goon runs past him, bumping his shoulder. "What are you doing? Attack..." A lightning bolt flares up, it shoots through the hip of the man with the flashlight and then goes straight through the other man''s stomach, leaving a bloody hole. The goon gasps for air and then falls to his death. The man gets sent flying, and his flashlight drops on the floor. He holds in the pain in his waist and crawls away, his hands reaching around, hoping to find the torch. He grabs onto something hard and pulls himself to it. But no, it''s not a flashlight, it''s just the burned corpse of one of his friends. The man jumps up a bit, then quickly shoves the corpse away and keeps crawling. He finds the flashlight, and the light shines. But it cannot illuminate anything. The light gets consumed by the darkness, and only a little tiny glimpse of glare can be seen. The man stands up, waving his flashlight around, hoping in desperation that his action somehow will make the light shine through the darkness. But it is all in vain. The man turns his back and bumps into something. The shadow of a being that isn''t there. Nothing is there, but he can feel it. The man drops his flashlight and thrusts his machete forward. His hand is held in place by an enormous power. He can''t even move away. And then, a horrifying white face exits the shadow and reveals itself. The cracked golden pattern, the inhuman facade of Hell. Blaze slices the Karambit through the man''s neck. Blood spurts out uncontrollably. The man drops down on his knees. Blaze does a roundhouse kick, beheading the man with his strike and sending it flying to the wall. [You have gained 100 experience points!] He has never learned martial arts before, so his kick is ugly. But he has tremendous strength thanks to the Genesis Legion''s metamorphosis. His strength is now enough to dissect a man through a strike alone. "Retreat! Retreat! We can''t fight inside this sphere!" Someone yells, and they all start to run away. Lightning reaches out of the dark sphere, striking on the backs of the runners one after another. They die like ants in the field, being stepped on and vanquished. Blaze keeps blasting, lightning appears like a storm of the sky. The entire hallway fills with blue light, blinding everyone inside. They see blue, and then another one of them falls to the ground. Blaze walks out of the black sphere, his hand keeps flicking the wand, striking any goons he can see. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [You have gained 50 experience points!] [You have gained 100 experience points!] S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [...] The sound of the System rings in his ear. Most of the goons are C-rank, a few are D-rank, but none are B-rank. Awakened... You are born with a gift, and this is what you choose to be? You all deserve to die. An enemy tries to counterattack Blaze. He has lots of knives strapped on his chest. The guy takes the knives out and throws them relentlessly at Blaze. The Wraith stands still, continuing to flick his wand. The lightning strike dashes forward, deflecting all the knives in its path, and then drilling holes inside the goon. [You have gained 100 experience points!] The knives were flying in a curve, a very special power, but his throwing speed is no match for lightning speed. Then another grabs a large hammer to run at Blaze. Lightning strikes at him. A faded white barrier covers the man, holding back some of the power of the Thunderbolt. But it gets through the barrier easily, leaving holes in it. Blaze connects a few strikes together. The man keeps charging, but when he gets close, he is already a dark, crispy, burned body. Blaze lets out another lightning bolt, breaking the man into pieces. [You have gained 100 experience points!] A man lies on the ground, his left knee bent inward. He''s trying his best to crawl away. Blaze walks toward him. "No, wait! Please!" The Destruction Wand screams, and his head explodes. [You have gained 100 experience points!] They have all run away. All that''s left are burned corpses. The Lantern of the Damned appears in Blaze''s hand. All the souls get sucked out of their bodies and into the Lantern. 23 souls in total. 23 lives. 23 scoundrels that don''t deserve to live. [Congratulations on holding more than ten souls in your Lantern of the Damned!] [You can now feed the souls to the Lantern to increase its power!] A new feature of the item is revealed. But now is not the time to examine it. William gets out of one of the rooms with a few dozen girls. They are all the girls being held on the first floor. The girls look at Blaze and his terrifying presence. But none seem to be taken aback by it. "Get them out of here." Blaze says. "Follow me!" William leads the way. The girl slowly leaves. They are all looking at Blaze with admiration. "Thank you, Mister Wraith!" "I... Thank you, sir!" Some can''t even say anything, only tears in their eyes. They never thought they could see freedom again. And then a girl touches Blaze''s arm. It is only a gentle squeeze, as if it is replaced for her gratitude. And then the next one who walks past him also grabs his arm. Another put her palm on his shoulder. One bows her head to him. They are all showing their emotions one way or another. Blaze looks at each of them. He doesn''t respond to any, only standing there silently. Until the last one of them is out. Forty-seventh. There were forty-seven girls on the first floor. How many are left in this hellhole? Blaze now more than ever believes in his path. Every single one of them deserves to die. Blaze steps forward, crushing the skull of a goon on his way. At the other end of the hallway, a single metal door is standing. Blaze opens it. More men are on the other side. This time they are all armored to the teeth. Thin, black fiber armors are covering their chests. Pads on their shoulders and knees. This is no mere criminal organization. It is a miniature army. Standing in front of the goons is Nadyr Brozovic. Everyone is wearing armor, but not him. He claps slowly. "What a performance!" Blaze stays silent. "An illusion power that releases darkness, removing the enemies'' sight. A never-ending barrage of lightning. A terrifying Controller power. Then I heard Rufus say you can communicate with animals too. That''s three. The white energy fang that you released. That''s four, I think. And of course, the power of being completely undetectable in darkness. That''s five. Five fucking powers in one man." Blaze keeps silent, raising his wand. "You killed a lot of us. That was purely luck..." Thunder roars in the middle of Nadyr''s speech. No one wants to hear a villain''s monologue. Chapter 38: Fear Chapter 38 - 38: FearNadyr''s body shifts to the side half a meter. White energy lines are left behind by his movement. He moves just enough to dodge the attack. The lightning bolt hits a henchman behind Nadyr. [You have gained 50 experience points!] All the others scatter a few steps back and square up, readying for battle. "Wow. That''s a strike!" Nadyr looks at the dead man, having no feeling for the loss of his men. "What is this power? B4 rank? Or is it B3? B2? Why do you need to hold that bone? Is it the core of your power?" Blaze doesn''t answer and keeps blasting. A lightning strike shoots out of the tip of the wand. Nadyr once again turns into a white blur, dodging the attack. This time, the man behind him is ready. He lowers his center point and places one side of the shoulder in front. When the lightning appears, the man taps on his shoulder pad. Blue energy spreads on its black surface, and an invisible force field materializes in front of the man. Lightning strikes on the field. The man gets pushed back a few meters. His shoes drag on the ground, leaving scraping marks behind their path. The goons behind catch him and stop the man from being pushed back further. The nameless goon gasps in disbelief, touching his body everywhere to check for injury. Nothing at all. Except for a little bit of burn at the bottom of the shoes. "I''m alright!" The eyes of all the goons lit up. They all press on their pads and armor, invisible force fields materialize and distort the nearby air. These force fields aren''t that strong and can''t absorb much impact. They don''t even cover the wearer entirely, only specific sections of the body. But they work wonders with energy attacks. And that''s all the criminals need to gain confidence in dealing with Blaze again. They all look at him with bloodlust, ready to dissect Blaze into hundreds of pieces. "See, boys! As I said, there''s nothing to be afraid of. This freak is nothing more than a strong gunner. Go to town with him!" Nadyr slowly retreats into the back of the crowd, heading to the elevator. "Why?" Blaze speaks for the first time. It is also the first time Nadyr hears the voice of the figure. The masked, shadowy creature of the night. Nadyr turns toward Blaze again. This time no longer with the joking attitude and smiley face he once had. His face is devoid of emotion, of empathy, and of humanity. What''s left is only a cold, hard shell. Whatever happened to this man, it has stripped him of most of his compassion. "Why what?" "Why run away?" "Why not?" "You know these delinquents cannot stop me. Why send them to die? Why not collect all your lieutenants and attack me at once?" Nadyr doesn''t answer and keeps walking backward. As strong as the Boss of the Roof is, he is still but a coward. Collecting all the forces and attacking Blaze means one thing. It''s either Blaze kills all of them or they kill Blaze. He is but one man, and they are many. But that is exactly why they are afraid. Furthermore, Blaze''s existence. His shadow figure and the white mask are something otherworldly. They don''t know why they are having that feeling. But they are afraid, including Nadyr. So he doesn''t want to bet all his forces to take down one man. He''d rather grind him down slowly, and if the creature is stronger than he can take, Nadyr will choose to escape instead. He is no devotee to a cause. He is only a businessman who wants to get rich. If the business becomes too dangerous, Nadyr prefers to bounce instead of staying. A predictable plan, to be honest. If he has the guts to go all in, he might have the chance to win. But he doesn''t. Well, if he has the guts. He wouldn''t be in this line of work. It''s hard to be good. It''s hard to do the right thing. It''s easy to be bad. Blaze smiles. Nadyr''s silence has told him all he needs to know. And he begins laughing sharply, abruptly, suddenly, like a record being played. But the eyes of the creature are cold and stay open without blinking. Then Blaze stops. The laugh fades instantly. "Fear!" The word fills the space. And then the golden patterns on the Tattered Mask turn red. The crimson grows out from Blaze''s blood-red eyes. A dark red energy bursts out from the white surface of the mask and spreads to all corners of the hallway. It crawls into the crevices of the eyes of the goons. It turns into centipedes and drills into their ears. They have no idea they have been affected. They can only sense a dreadful surge overwhelm their very being. All the goons begin to breathe heavily. Sweat covers their faces. Their hands are shaking, and their knees are wobbling. Some fall on their butt and piss themselves. Yellow, smelly liquid spreads on the floor. Some cower inside the corner, shaking nonstop, hiding their eyes, and covering their ears. Some cry for their mothers like a little kid, hoping she can protect them from whatever demon is present. Some frantically run around, screaming ghosts of their past. All of them lose their will to fight. Weapons fall on the ground. The sound of metal dropping is music to the ears, extremely satisfying. Nadyr stumbles around. He closes his eyes and shakes his head repeatedly. He''s the only one in the hallway that can resist the Hidden Power somewhat. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Blaze slowly walks forward. The sound of his steps dances around the room. The goons are all terrified of him and get out of his way. Some even curl into a fetal position and do not dare to look out. Nadyr is able to open his eyes again, bloodshot webs cover the white surface of his eyeballs. It looks like he hasn''t been able to sleep for days. His body turns into a blur and goes inside the elevator. The shadow figure slowly walks forward. Blaze does not seem to be in any hurry. But Nadyr is. He tries to press the button but keeps missing the button. The second floor! The second floor! Damn it! Nadyr keeps pressing. The button lights up, and the door slowly closes, transferring Nadyr away from the scene. He falls down to the elevator floor, his left palm grabbing the fabric near his chest. His heart beats frantically, like a deer seeing its hunter. He tries his best to calm down, but an invisible force prevents him. Nadyr slows his breath down and is eventually able to escape the effect of the Hidden Power. "Sixth power... How many..." Back in the hallway, Blaze approaches the elevator and presses the button, calling it back. The Roof is a very large mansion, navigating through every part of this building will be a chore. Luckily, Blaze doesn''t need to do that. His scout has already taken care of the problem. A yellow fireball phases through the nearby wall and then turns into a raven. Isaac lands on Blaze''s shoulder. "The Pale Harpy is keeping an eye on Alyson, Master. There are two B-ranks there, so she can''t get Alyson out yet." "Don''t worry. I will handle them myself." Isaac looks back on the hallway behind him. All the criminals, traffickers, and henchmen writhe in place in ugly fashions. Some of them Isaac even recognizes. "What do we do with them, Master?" The elevator opens, and Blaze walks inside. "Kill yourselves!" The low, hoarse voice of the figure spreads. It becomes dozens of different voices, each tailored to the deepest, darkest trauma for each bastard. A man that is curled in the corner suddenly sits up. He grabs the nearby machete and thrusts it inside his stomach. Another man puts a pistol in his mouth and pulls the trigger. Brain matters are scattered on the wall. Another bashes his head repeatedly into the concrete. His skull is broken and his brain is squished. His entire head fills with blood. But he keeps going. A horrific, bloody sight takes over the hallway. The elevator is closing, but Blaze pushes on the hold button. He''s standing still, taking in the scene and making sure every single one of them is dead. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [You have gained 100 experience points!] [You have gained 100 experience points!] [...] It keeps going for another ten minutes until the warmth of life leaves the last person inside that hallway. The Lantern of the Damned appears in Blaze''s hand. The souls of all the goons fly to Blaze and are now trapped inside the Lantern. 17 souls. That gets the total number to 40. A nice round number. Blaze finally releases the button, letting the elevator close. Isaac involuntarily gulps a few times due to the sickening scene. Master is ruthless. But maybe it is what this world needs right now. Blaze presses the basement level. He needs to rescue Alyson first. Chapter 39: Dynamic Twins Chapter 39 - 39: Dynamic Twins[Lantern of the Damned] - Equipment Rank: Ultra Rare - Trapped souls: 40 Standing inside the elevator, Blaze takes a look at the Lantern. It is one of the first items that ever fell into his hand. It''s also the first one that was bound to him. Originally, the Lantern was rather useless with only one useful Hidden Power, Soul Flare. Soul Reap was interesting but, in the end, served no purpose. And then the bind happened. It became Blaze''s most useful and powerful item. Not only is it superb at gathering intel, it is perfect for letting those monsters feel part of the pain they have caused to others. The enslaving power is also extremely useful. Blaze always knows that this Lantern has potential. Now, it has the chance to become more powerful. "Go check the basement first." Blaze says. Isaac nods, then turns into a fireball and phases through the elevator. Blaze doesn''t want to be ambushed right out of the door and die a pointless death, so he ordered Isaac to scout first. In the meantime, Blaze feeds ten souls to the Lantern. [The Lantern is full. Digestion process begins.] Ten yellow souls fly to the edges of the Lantern and fuse with it. The Lantern starts to pulsate a few times, similar to that of a heartbeat, before settling down and radiating a faint yellow light. [Digestion Time: 4:37:23] "Four hours. You really are no different than a pet." Blaze mumbles. [Remaining Experience Points: 3820 EXP] He is now wealthy again. No longer the experience beggar an hour ago. But now is not a really good time to spend these. Isaac flies in from the outside, turning back into a raven and landing on Blaze''s shoulder. "Well?" "Alyson is safe. The Pale Harpy is on standby, just outside of the room. There are only two B-rank Awakeners guarding the capsules." "You recognize them?" "No. Maybe William can. I am not familiar with this place." "That is easy to solve." Back in the capsule room, Issac phases through the wall again and then lands in a secluded place to turn back into the raven. His five red eyes blink and turn into five yellow irises, those that resemble Blaze. "William knows about these two. The black-haired man has Super Reflex and the bald guy has an indestructible head. Wait... Are they really B-rank?" Different from the C-rank, the B-rank at the Roof rarely uses their power. At best they would use it for leisure or showing off. All the heavy stuff is taken care of by the Cs. Therefore William doesn''t really know the extent of the B-rank powers inside the Roof. Isaac returns to his shoulder, and they both go down in the elevator. There is no ambush, so they are free to move. The elevator emits a satisfied ''ding'' sound, and the door creakily opens. Blaze strides on the ground. The Tattered Cloak makes his walk look like he is floating through space. The basement is filled with prison cells and dorms of captive girls. Blaze even sees some men being held here. The depravity really does not distinguish between sexes. "How many people are down here?" "Around fifty captives, Master." "Go find William. He should be at the front gate. Tell him to lead these people out." "Yes, Master. It''s going to be a long process. There are only a few elevators I have seen." "No need for that." Blaze takes out his Destruction Wand and blasts the basement roof. A lightning bolt drills a hole that leads directly to the first floor. "There. That should be sufficient." "Haha..." Isaac laughs stiffly. He flies away in his raven form, leaving Blaze alone with the Pale Harpy. The girl sees him and immediately stiffens. She avoids looking directly at his face and fidgets her finger. She didn''t know the kid who enslaved her was also the malevolent creature she encountered last night. Now, everything makes so much sense. In the end, the Harpy drops down on her knees like a medieval servant should and lowers her head. "Master!" "Please, we are not that kind of relationship. Stand up." "Oh... Okay." The Pale Harpy stands up clumsily, still avoiding looking Blaze directly in the eyes. "I haven''t gotten the chance to ask for your name." The Pale Harpy laughs. You were trying to get rid of me quickly. Of course you didn''t have the chance. "My real name is Rachel McAvoy. But people call me Rae or the Pale Harpy." "Nice to meet you, Rae." "Haha." Sweat runs on Rae''s face. "You can go." "You don''t want my help?" "It''s two B-rank Awakeners. Are you sure you want to help?" Rae shakes her head profusely. "Definitely not!" "Then go." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Rae gets away. She turns back to the figure for one last time. Memory of Blaze''s actual appearance still lingers in her face. He''s actually very cute. Why is he wearing this outfit? The Harpy ponders, but then she remembers the reason why she wears a mask also. To protect her identity and those around her. He will be a great asset to the Underground Network. Maybe I should recommend him to the Handler. "Wraith!" Rae says. Blaze turns his head slightly, signaling that he''s listening. "Thank you for rescuing me. How can I contact you later?" "I will come to you." "Alright. Remember to do that. I''ll recommend you to the Network." Then she disappears behind the walls. The Underground Network, the largest superheroes organization with the most Awakened members in Ranas. The Steel Legion is created and controlled by the Institution. The Academy has the hands of both the Federation and Vox inside. The Underground Network is the only group that is free from the Giants influence. You can say it is a land of fortune for the bold. But as big as it is, its power is scattered as the Network does not have true leadership. Each to their own, and the relationships between the Network members are purely transactional. Joining it is not a bad idea for Blaze, as he values his privacy above all, and the Network does not require your true identity. They go by code names or titles, similar to the Pale Harpy. Blaze gets rid of the thought and looks back at the entrance to the capsule room. He raises the Destruction Wand, and it fires. The lightning breaks apart the door. Inside, Hugo and Anton get ready to fight. They lower their center point of balance and square up. Hugo, the black-haired guy, is tall and skinny, wearing the goon uniform with the white tank top and black pants. The other, Anton, is kind of big and short. He has no hair but a smooth, almost gleaming scalp. "Who dares attack our establishment?" "Surrender now, aggressor! And we will promise you a peaceful death!" Hugo does some kind of martial art form, waving his hand in an embarrassing manner. Anton stomps his feet down like a sumo wrestler, then spins his neck chaotically like he has some sort of whiplash. Blaze stands still, feeling a bit surprised by the weird antique of the enemies. He decides to match their energy. "Surrender now, and your soul may not be burned for eternity more." "Hohoho!" Hugo does a weird laugh. "No enemies can make us surrender! Anton!" "Hugo!" "We are the Dynamic Twins! Come and fight, aggressor!" "Where did Nadyr find you guys..." Blaze raises his bone wand. Chapter 40: Human Torpedo Chapter 40 - 40: Human TorpedoThunder roars, and the blue lightning bolt rushes from the tip of the wand to Anton, the bald guy. Blaze thinks that this is going to be an easy fight solely on their crazy eccentricity. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He doesn''t know why, but their behavior made him think they aren''t even that strong. But he is very, very wrong. The blue lightning reaches Anton, and he lowers his head, aiming the smooth, bald surface of the top of his head toward the lightning. And then Boom! The lightning collapses onto the head. Its electricity dissipates into the surrounding area. Anton''s muscles constrict a little, but he quickly shakes it off like it was nothing. Blaze frowns. The enemies are not as weak as he anticipated. But no matter, more lightning bolts will solve any problem. So he continues blasting. Lightning bolts after lightning bolts strike at the guy. Anton has no fear. He headbutts each and every single lightning bolt. The blue electricity crashes on his skin and evaporates into the head like a lightning rod in the work. "What the..." Then, Hugo takes out a handgun. His hand turns into a blur, and he starts pulling the trigger without hesitation. Each shot is aimed precisely at Blaze''s several weak points. Blaze shoots out the Grappling Hook, moving out of the way to dodge all the bullets. He counterattacks Hugo and gives him a taste of lightning. The two goons stand pretty close, so when the lightning bolt appears, Anton immediately steps in front of Hugo and uses his indestructible head to break the electricity power. "You must be kidding..." Blaze mumbles. His attack is purely stronger and much more devastating than the opponent''s. But they have found a way to defend against him. Blaze takes back his thoughts from before. These two aren''t weak like he thought. They are strong and deserve his total focus. He was too naive to think that they were weak just because of their ridiculousness. Blaze then takes out the Moonlight Karambit and holds it in his right hand. Their attacks are only gunshots, a simple but effective move. Blaze has not yet reached a level to disregard gunshots, and he would like to remove it from the equation. Bury the room in darkness, and the gun should become completely useless. "Darkness!" A sphere of shadow spreads out from Blaze and covers the entire space of the capsule room. Hugo reloads in the blink of an eye and starts shooting at Blaze''s original position. Unfortunately, there is only the sound of the bullet hitting concrete. Hugo throws the gun away and takes out a dark piece of cloth. Against Blaze''s best judgment, Hugo put the cloth over his eyes. Blaze thought he was going to activate some sort of power, not covering his own eyes. "Watch over me." Hugo says, climbing onto the back of Anton. "Count on me, brother!" Hugo reaches out to the back and takes out a steel machete. The two run into the sphere of shadow. Blaze really doesn''t understand what they are doing. He is already fused with darkness and can no longer be located. Blaze shoots the Grappling Hook on the ceiling and stays afloat. Up here, he can have a much better observation of the entire room. He aims the Destruction Wand toward the Ridiculous Two and charges the wand with Force Shocker. Thanks to the Tattered Mask, Blaze can now charge the wand with ease without the worry that One With Shadow will be neutralized. Anton''s head seems perfectly fine dealing with the blue lightning, so Blaze wants to test the white lightning, his second most destructive attack, against Anton''s power. His most destructive attack is, of course, Sundown, which is still in cooldown for now. From the other perspective, a faint blue light is gleaming on the top of the room. Darkness prohibited Anton''s and Hugo''s vision, so they cannot see the light. Bad guys also never look up. Blaze charges for a while until the wand can no longer hold any more energy. He tries to focus the attack on a small area to avoid causing further destruction. And then the room lit up in total white. Darkness almost seems like it is cancelled by this intense light. The white lightning bolt screams, rushing to the back of Hugo. Surrounding it are countless smaller blue electricity. It reaches the two of them quicker than the blink of an eye. The sound of thunder hasn''t even emitted yet. But Hugo can feel it. He places the machete in his hand just in time between him and lightning. Blaze smirks. A mere weapon is not going to save you. Hugo''s and Anton''s bodies suddenly get covered in a white outline. The tip of the lightning bolt touches the machete and gets separated into several smaller energy flashes. "What the?" Blaze blurts out, his voice echoes in the room, and it''s hard to pinpoint his exact location. Anton suddenly moves extremely fast. His muscle is getting pulled by an invisible force. Anton''s head is now facing the giant white thunderbolt that is still smashing itself upon them. Hugo''s body fades and turns into three flying white energy balls. They rotate around Anton''s body like stars orbiting around the sun. Anton slams his head on the rest of the lighting. It pushes him back to the wall and engraves a human-shaped hole for him to be buried in. But that is not the end of Anton. He headbutts the lightning bolt one more time, and this time, its power gives out and it dissipates. Blaze really doesn''t know how to react. I can''t underestimate B-rank Awakeners. He thinks. According to William, Hugo has Super Reflex and Anton has Iron Head. But those energy balls orbiting around Anton are definitely not reflex or a hard head. They have more powers than William knows. And this power can even be used in combination. Anton looks around the room. Still unable to locate Blaze''s position. This is bad for him, as he isn''t sure that he can withstand the attack forever. He can take it for a long time, but standing still to be a living target is a stupid decision. Anton spreads his arms to the side and lifts one of his legs up. His entire body begins to spin and quickly reaches an insane speed. Anton''s entire body becomes a blur, and only his shiny bald head is visible at the top. "Human Torpedo!" Blaze hears the both of them scream. And then Anton, as the new human missile, begins to dart around the room, looking for Blaze''s position. Anton''s head destroys everything it touches. All the furniture gets wrecked into pieces. They even slam on one of the capsules, causing the glass to be cracked. The capsule is built of an unknown durable material. If not for that, the entire glass case must have broken. Anton moves away from that position and continues attacking the room aimlessly. Blaze''s face hardens, letting the two continue their rampage will cause harm to Alyson eventually. He needs to end this quickly. Chapter 41: A Bargain of Life Chapter 41 - 41: A Bargain of Life"Let''s end this." Blaze''s voice echoes through the room. The black sphere of darkness disappears, and he reveals himself. Blaze drops down from the ceiling, the Tattered Cloak covers himself whole. His head is slightly lowered. Anton stops in his tracks and does a 180-degree turn, now aiming at Blaze. The fusion between the two grants them some sort of flight ability. The Human Torpedo hovers slightly above the ground and dashes at an extreme speed. But it never goes above two or three meters high. It''s probably the limitation of this ability. For someone who cannot move vertically, this ability surely becomes a death sentence for them. Blaze was able to dodge all that thanks to the Grappling Hook. The original three items, Tattered Cloak, Grappling Hook, and Lantern of the Damned, always find themselves useful in all scenarios. A true package that is needed for Beginners. The System did not lie when it gave Blaze the Beginner''s Gift. Blaze lifts his head up, and the Tattered Mask once again lights up in red. The dark energy pours out again and enters the flesh bullet that is coming toward him. It seems like others cannot see this energy, only Blaze can sense it. The Human Torpedo breaks apart. Hugo''s and Anton''s bodies split and fly over to two sides. They writhe on the ground, grabbing their head like some sort of insect just drilled a hole in their brain. These goons do not have any resistance to the Tattered Mask at all, the same as before. Its power is almost entirely mental, and no matter how fit your body is, you will get affected by it. The only exception was Nadyr, he was able to resist the effect of Fear and run away. Blaze wonders if it''s because Nadyr has some sort of mental superpower or if it''s purely because his mind is stronger and more fortified. Once the two fall into the fear state, they are no longer a threat and are simply at the mercy of Blaze. But he does not want to kill them yet. These two interest Blaze, he wants to know who they are and why they lost themselves on this despicable path. Blaze approaches the two and sucks their souls out of their bodies. Two yellow fireballs flicker on Blaze''s palm. His eyes turn yellow, and the light beam shoots into their soul, examining their memories. Hugo and Anton were truly different from the others. Different from William, they did not choose to become criminals. The two were orphans and were left at the doorstep of a church. The church raised them until they were around five or six, but then it got demolished so that Vox Entertainment could build a new studio there. The children inside the church were scattered on the street, fighting for their lives and finding their own way to survive. Hugo and Anton were inside a group of seven children. They died off one by one. The first was taken by hunger. The second died due to the cold. The third was killed. Her naked body was left in an alleyway. The fourth killed himself after seeing the third. The fifth tried to kill Hugo so that he could eat him. Anton intervened, and they both ended the fifth''s life. Seven children, all dead, only Hugo and Anton survived. Then a man found them. He saw the resilience and violence the two were capable of. He found them useful, so he took them in. Giancarlo Cavalcante, the Iron Knight. A named hero and billionaire of Ranas. He is one of the shareholders of Vox Entertainment. People call him the most influential man in the country. "So you are the man behind everything." Blaze mumbles. Cavalcante''s wealth must come from something. He did not inherit a fortune, nor is his family line powerful Awakened. He gained his wealth from human trafficking. Blaze clenched his fist. "What man does to gain power..." After taking the two orphans, Cavalcante trained them to be killers, bodyguards, and henchmen who do his bidding. But the two proved to be inefficient in this job, as their heart was pure. They can never outright murder people unless that person harmed them first. Not a good mentality for henchmen. So Cavalcante transferred them to the Roof, where their antics and personality are no longer a problem. The two are still too naive for this type of depravity, so they mostly do security work inside the Roof and never dip their hands in shadier business. They are still virgins, for God''s sake, they never take their hand on any girls. Blaze sighs. This cruel world has pushed people into monsters. "What they do is wrong, but they don''t have a choice. It was either death or corruption. But maybe they can redeem themselves." It is obvious that Blaze doesn''t want to kill them. He empathizes with their situation. If it wasn''t for the System, Blaze could have easily strayed from his path and fallen into their shoes. So he decides to give them a choice. Blaze releases the two souls back to their body and removes their Fear state. Hugo and Anton slowly gain consciousness and stand up again. This time, they are both silent. "It seems like you understand your situation." Blaze says. The two look at each other and nod. They are no match for Blaze, keep going, and they will surely die. "I saw your life. It was hard and unforgiving. I can understand why you became who you are. But wrong is wrong, and right is right. What you do is despicable. Even if you don''t directly take part in it. I now give you a choice. To die right here, right now. Or become my servants. The choice is yours." Anton gulps, eyeing Hugo. Hugo is always the brain of the two, and Anton is the muscle. He lets Hugo decide everything. "It''s not that simple. The man..." "I know who Cavalcante is. I will come for him eventually." "I understand. But he saved us. Even if he himself is a monster." Hugo says. His bizarre antics from before have completely disappeared, only seriousness is left. "If you decide to kill him, we cannot just stand and watch. We owe him." "So you choose death?" Sweat runs on Hugo''s face. He bites his lips and thinks hard. "Only me. Kill me now so that our debt to him is paid. We did what he asked, and I will die for his cause. But I beg you to let Anton live. He is too pure for this world. He shouldn''t be a criminal. He should have a family and become a construction worker somewhere." "Hugo... You?!" "Shut up, Anton!" Blaze claps slowly. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Very admirable, Mr. Hugo. But I am not a charity. I only let you live because you may be useful to me. Remember, what you did, even if you don''t want to do it, is despicable. So there are only two choices. You two become my servants for eternity. Or die together right now." Hugo bites his lip harder, blood bursts out from the flesh. He wants to save Anton so that he can repay his debt to him. Without Anton, Hugo would have died that day when the fifth child tried to kill him. "Sire... Your Honor... Whatever you truly are... I cannot betray Cavalcante because we owe him. So I have to give my life to repay this debt. And that should be enough. I beg you to keep Anton alive after my death. He can be very useful for you." "Hugo! No! If we die, we die together!" "Anton, shut the fuck up, will you?!" "Very well. You were brothers in life. Now, you can be brothers in death." Blaze takes out the Destruction Wand. A ball of darkness appears on the tip of the wand. Chapter 42: Reunion Chapter 42 - 42: ReunionThe ominous black energy fills Hugo''s and Anton''s hearts with dread. Hugo''s face loses its color. He has failed to save his friend. Anton is nonchalant, not really affected by Blaze''s decision. "Lift your head high, brother. Our death may not be too bad in the end." Anton says. "What do you mean?" Hugo says. "We were dealt a bad hand in life, brother. Our parents left us. Vox destroyed our home. We became criminals, working for those who break down our church. Our death is more of a release." Hugo laughs with pain in his eyes. "You always said that I am the smart one. But you can always see the world much clearer than me, Anton. You can see everything for what it truly is." "See you in the afterlife!" "See you in the afterlife!" They fist bump each other. The black beam of darkness screams. It flies in a zigzag pattern, penetrates both of their hearts, and then disappears into nothingness. The two fall down on the floor to their death. [You have gained 250 experience points!] [You have gained 250 experience points!] The first B-rank Awakeners to die in Blaze''s hand. "You may see each other much sooner than you thought." Blaze says. He collects the two souls inside his Lantern. Isaac proves to be extremely useful in this mission. Not only was he able to map out the entire structure of the Roof, but Alyson was also located with ease. This makes Blaze think twice about doing everything alone. He needs more help to eradicate whatever force is opposing him. The Iron Knight is a formidable enemy. Behind him is Vox Entertainment. More and more will appear as Blaze slowly becomes stronger. Having more servants has no drawbacks at all. So he decides to build a force of his own. Forces, like Isaac or Hugo and Anton. People who were lost in their path but have redeemable qualities. They can serve as Blaze''s hands and feet. And for people like William, well, Blaze has already thought of an end for him. As useful as the guy is, he does not deserve a second chance. Isaac flies in just in time, seeing the two cold corpses lying on the ground. "Master!" The raven lands on Blaze''s shoulder. "William is releasing the girl and helping them escape. The Pale Harpy is also there to assist." "Any problem?" "No, master. I take a look upstairs as well. They are in chaos and trying to prepare for battle. They don''t care about what happened down here at all." "Good. Make sure the victims are safely released and secured. Others may try to take them in again." "The Roof? I don''t think they have any manpower left to do this." "No... Other EEs. Releasing them is only one thing. Making sure they are taken care of is another. We may release them now, but some bastards can just take them again when we''re gone. The Roof is not the only criminal in this neighborhood." Isaac''s five red eyes blink rapidly. "There must be like two hundred captives here... Counting the one we haven''t even rescued. How can we arrange them, Master?" Blaze takes out a business card in his hand. It is the contact detail the Liberty Sons have given him. The Liberty Sons may not be that strong, but they are reliable and not corrupted. They may have some idea about this. I should give them a call. "Give this to William. Tell him to contact them. They may be able to help." "Understood, Master!" The raven grabs the card using his beak and flies away. Blaze exhales a long breath. He hopes the Liberty Sons have a solution because he does not. Saving these people is easy. But making sure they do not get kidnapped again or fall into the same dark path is hard. If the Liberty Sons cannot help, Blaze may have to look for somewhere else. The Academy is obviously a no, as Vox has their hands on it. The Steel Legion does no charity. The Underground Network may be able to help. But the people there won''t do anything unless it is beneficial to them. What a headache... Only if there is an organization that I can trust one hundred percent. By looking through Hugo''s and Anton''s memories, Blaze already knows how to release the capsules. The problem now is that releasing them will pause the healing process. Blaze takes a look at five of the girls. He picks one that has the least injury and releases her. The girl is almost naked with only a thin white fabric on her body. Blaze carries her gently and puts her on the cold, hard floor. This girl has a giant cut on her chest. It was slowly regenerating inside the capsule and is already growing new tissues. Blaze takes out the Blood Potion and helps her drink it. The girl is mumbling random words and is still in a coma. "It''s alright. I''m here to help you. Drink this." And as if she hears Blaze, her mouth opens slightly to take in the blood red liquid. The wound on her chest immediately heals. The new tissues blend in with the skin. It''s as if she was never injured. "Such a good item for a cheap price." The healing capability of the Blood Potion is almost comparable to Super Healing or Super Regeneration ability. The injury is gone in an instant. Blaze puts the girl down then continues releasing the others. Each Potion can only be used three times before running out. When it is emptied, the glass vial disappears, leaving no trace of its existence. Blaze has to buy another potion for the fourth girl and Alyson. When it is time for Alyson, Blaze hugs her tightly. He has denied her a hug once. It was devastating for him. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Blaze was afraid that he was never going to see her again. He knew he would do anything in his power to get her back from these criminals. But then again, nothing is guaranteed, and she may have disappeared forever. Now that he sees her again, he will never let this woman go again. After Alyson drinks the potion, her wounds close immediately, and she begins to gain consciousness. It is so sudden that Blaze doesn''t have time to react. He freezes in place. Alyson opens her eyes and is visibly distraught when she sees Blaze''s terrifying appearance. But then her expression softens. Her eyes observe the shadowy figure closely. She focuses on his eyes. "Aren''t you afraid, Lioness?" Blaze says. The Wraith''s unsettling voice suddenly has a warm feeling to it. "Why would I be afraid? You are my friend..." Blaze''s eyes widen. He lets out a relief laugh. "How did you know?" "You do look scary. That white mask, those red eyes, and this dark cloak. I can''t even imagine the horrible designer that gave you this outfit. But I know those eyes. Those eyes can''t hide from me." Alyson touches Blaze''s face. She caresses the hard surface of the Tattered Mask. Her hard shell falls off, and tears well up in her eyes. Alyson buries her face inside Blaze''s chest and cries like a little baby. Her body shakes in fear. Blaze hugs her tightly, feeling her soft, warm skin through the Tattered Cloak. As strong and resilient as she is, Alyson is still but a young girl. Blaze taps her head gently and soothes her with his words. "It''s okay. It''s alright. I''m here now. I''m here to protect you." Chapter 43: More Clones Chapter 43 - 43: More ClonesHer cry wakes up the other girls, and soon, they are all awake. Their first reaction is getting away from Blaze, as they are all distraught seeing his less than welcome appearance. Alyson wipes her tears and looks over to them. "It''s alright. He isn''t one of them. He''s here to save us." The girls look at each other with suspicion. They don''t know what to think or who to trust anymore. They were kidnapped by some random strangers or someone they know. They can''t even trust each other right at this moment. Blaze helps Alyson to get up and then turns toward the girl. "There will be someone to come and lead you out. Don''t run around, or you may encounter the people who kidnap you. Understood?" His voice is stern and cold, completely different from the soft attitude before. The girls nod. "Stay with them, Alyson. I have to take care of the rest of the criminals here." "I understand." Blaze turns and leaves. Alyson suddenly grabs his cloak. "Wait!" "Yes, what is it?" "Stay safe..." Blaze pats her head. "I will." Then he leaves the room. The girls look over to Alyson, all are thinking to find an answer from her. "Who is that?" One girl says. "That... is a superhero. He is here to decimate this goddamn place." The hallway is full of released captives. William is at the hole that Blaze blew out, leading people to leave through it. He found a ladder somewhere and placed it so others could climb out of the basement. Once he sees Blaze, William hurriedly runs to him, pushing other people away. "Master!" Isaac is also here. He flies from William''s shoulder and back to Blaze. "Have you contacted the Liberty Sons yet?" "I did. They said help will arrive soon." "Good. Make sure each and every one here is released. Don''t forget anyone." "I''m on it, Master!" William says. Blaze then shoots the Grappling Hook through the hole in the ceiling, leaving the basement. The captives all look at him with curiosity. One girl speaks up: "Who is that?" "That''s the person... the being who just saved you." William answers. He, himself, doesn''t actually know what Blaze is either. The ground floor is also filled with people, most are the captives that just climbed up from the basement. It really is chaos out here. More chaos ensues when they see Blaze. His terrifying appearance makes no good impression. They''re all trying to run away from him as soon as possible. Luckily, there is the Pale Harpy to somewhat manage the crowd. "Relax, everyone. He''s not one of them. He''s here to help us. No need to panic. Just keep going outside. Slowly, don''t push each other!" The people calm down eventually because Blaze doesn''t attack. He still leaves the premise anyhow, finding a more secluded room to be in. Staying may cause more unwanted problems. He has killed a lot of people, and now it is time to spend the experience points. [Remaining experience points: 4120] It requires 5000 EXP to upgrade Force Blast to A-rank. However, he may use only half of that amount if he shoots himself with Lightning Strike produced by the Destruction Wand. His body''s durability is way better than before, and he has Blood Potion also, it should be enough for Blaze to survive the process. But he doesn''t know what A-rank metamorphosis may be. The S-rank Genesis Legion takes quite a while and causes Blaze to be completely vulnerable in that time. He was in the Void, and the place was deserted. So that justified the process. Evolving Force Blast now will be no different than a suicide. Even though Blaze really wants to do it, he throws the idea of evolving Force Blast out of his head. There are other ways of spending experience points that may not be so dangerous. Blaze has lots of Genesis that he has not made yet. Their power is minimal, but he can use Soul Bound to easily make them more powerful. He has the two best candidates right here, Hugo and Anton. After examining their memories, Blaze was able to learn the true nature of their powers also. Super Reflex and Iron Head were simply a facade put up to trick others. It was Hugo''s idea. Blaze thinks it is a genius move. If they had revealed their true power, they may have been forced to do more than just guarding. Hugo''s actual power was Minor Temporal Manipulation. He can control the time for his own mind and body, accelerating or decelerating them. The actual manipulated volume is very limited. Hugo can''t change it too much or use the power for too long. In the eyes of other people, this can easily be mistaken for Super Reflex or Super Speed. Anton''s actual power was Energy Dispersion. No matter what type of energy, electricity, force, or heat, he can disperse it to the surrounding area, neutralizing its power. It''s just that Anton really likes to use his bald head as a weapon, so his power was mistaken as Iron Head. Blaze let out a chuckle when he found out their true powers. Not only are they crazy, but the usage of their power is also bizarre. They both shared a power that can only be used between themselves. This power was kept a secret, and the only other person who knew about this was Cavalcante. Mutual Sharing, a power that lets Anton and Hugo apply each other''s superpowers onto the other. They can''t use it on other people, only on themselves. Hugo can manipulate the time of his and Anton''s bodies, while Anton can make Hugo have the dispersion power of his body. They can even fuse temporarily into one, with Hugo turning into pure temporal energy. This energy enhances Anton''s speed and makes him able to move like a weak Speedster. They can''t run faster than sound but can do crazy moves like the Human Torpedo. Anton''s power dissipates all force, which helps the Human Torpedo to become a walking destructive missile. The attack and defense prowess of Human Torpedo may reach B1 level and can easily cause trouble for weak A-ranks. Unfortunately for them, they don''t have any power to defend against mental attack. [Available Genesis] - Normal: 5 days lifespan or 50 EXP - Shocking Force (B-rank): 5 years lifespan or 2500 EXP - Acidic Jade (D-rank): 5 months lifespan or 250 EXP - Werewolf Berserker (C-rank): 2 years lifespan or 1000 EXP - Winged Dinosaur (D-rank): 5 months lifespan or 250 EXP Blaze takes a look at the different types of clones he can make. With Minor Temporal Manipulation, Hugo can be a beast by using a Winged Dinosaur body. This clone has wings and Steel Modification (D-rank), both of which can compensate for his weak combat power. Anton''s power can be combined with Werewolf Berserker to become an even greater menace. But 1000 EXP is way more than what Blaze is willing to spend on a servant right now. In the end, he decides to let both of them have Winged Dinosaur bodies. They act like brothers, so let them be true brothers from now on. Purple energy pours out of Blaze''s skin. Wasting 500 EXP, two bodies slowly materialize. [Creating clones...] [Please design the appearance of your new clones!] S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Anton Arc and Hugo Arc have been chosen as the clones'' new appearance!] [Winged Dinosaur Genesis has been chosen as the genome for the new clones] [Please name your clones!] "Hugo and Anton." [New clones have been registered!] In front of Blaze now stand two naked versions of Hugo and Anton. "Now the only thing left is..." Blaze pulls their soul out of the Lantern. His red eyes lose their color and shine a yellow shade. Two enslaving symbols now reside inside the souls of the Dynamic Twins. Chapter 44: Hostage Chapter 44 - 44: Hostage[Hugo Arc (trapped soul) has taken control of your clone ''Hugo''] [Hugo''s genome has fused with the clone (temporary effect)] [Your clone ''Hugo'' has received new temporary Powers: Minor Temporal Manipulation (B-rank); Mutual Sharing (Unique) [Minor Temporal Manipulation (B-rank): You can accelerate or decelerate time going through your mind and body.] [Anton Arc (trapped soul) has taken control of your clone ''Anton''] [Anton''s genome has fused with the clone (temporary effect)] [Your clone ''Anton'' has received new temporary Powers: Energy Dispersion (B-rank); Mutual Sharing (Unique) [Energy Dispersion (B-rank): Your body can disperse any type of physical energy into the surrounding area.] [Mutual Sharing (Unique): This power is exclusive to Anton Arc and Hugo Arc. These two beings can share their power to each other when they are in physical contact. These two beings can temporarily fuse into one.] The new Hugo and Anton open their eyes. They can feel their back is much heavier than it used to be. It''s as if there are weights strapped onto their shoulder blades. In front of them is that shadow figure again. Hugo looks down and realizes he is naked. "Pervert!" Anton runs over to cover him. "Don''t worry, brother. I am here to help you." "Wait a minute! Didn''t we die already?" Hugo and Anton glance at each other. They look mostly the same, but this time, there are two pairs of giant blue wings stuck to their backs. "We become angels, Hugo! Blue angels!" "We are not angels! We aren''t qualified to be them. Is this some sort of dream the brain makes when you die?" "Enough." The voice comes like the order from above, and the two of them immediately feel the total control it has over them. The next word comes out from their soul. "Master!" Hugo and Anton drop down on their knees. "I resurrected you. These bodies are not your own. Your cold, hard corpses are still in the basement. You are still Hugo and Anton, but you have lost all connections to your previous life. You belong to me now. Your bodies were created by me. Your souls were released by me. All the debt in your life has no concern over who you are now." Hugo and Anton look at each other with gleaming sparkles in their eyes. We really have become angels. Blaze doesn''t even need telepathy to know what these two idiots think. He sighs heavily. The five-eyed raven tilts its tiny head slightly, watching the newcomers with extreme excitement. All of its eyes squint slightly. It was their honor and loyalty that made Blaze decide to recruit them. Hugo refused to betray Cavalcante because he saved them. Anton denied being left alive due to their friendship and brotherhood. There are no better candidates to be Blaze''s servants. But now that they are, Blaze regrets it. It''s almost like having two talkative huskies inside the house. "Even though you have died and paid for your sins. Your soul is still guilty. So now help me on my path, and you shall..." "Please give us your order, Sire! We are your blades and your fists!" Hugo and Anton say in unison. Blaze freezes in place. They are getting familiar with their new position a little too well. The two even know what to call him and have a catchphrase already. Isaac lets out a cawing laugh. The two watch the bird with curiosity, wondering why it sounds like it''s laughing at their faces. Blaze sighs again, continuing to dwell in his regret. "There''s someone I''d like to introduce you to. This is Isaac, my raven." The five-eyed raven on Blaze''s shoulder begins to emit a low croaking sound. It flies down to the ground and approaches the two men. "Hello, Mr. Isaac." "My pleasure to meet you, Isaac the Raven." Blaze then continues: "He is my messenger. If you see him, act like you see me and listen to everything he says." Hugo and Anton then look at the raven suspiciously. Doubts fill their eyes. The raven continues cawing. "Sire... How are we going to understand it?" "That''s right, Sire. We don''t understand animals!" Suddenly a voice comes out of the raven. "I can talk. I just want to mess with you." Hugo and Anton jump back, hugging each other like two scaredy-cats. "No way..." "You can talk?!" "Of course I can talk. I was also a human like you." "But why did you become a raven and not an angel? What did you do?" "Terrible things, my friend. Terrible things." The group then moves to the nearest elevator. Isaac turns into a fireball and phases through the ceiling. He just goes to check the first floor and makes sure it is safe for Blaze to move on. Anton and Hugo both blurt out a "wow" when Isaac does that. They stand to the sides of Blaze, looking like two guardian angels. Isaac returns very quickly with new information. "The people on the first floor have all evacuated to the east wing of the building. Both the gang members and the captives are there." "They don''t even try to run or ambush?" Blaze says. "No, master." "Who is up there?" "A dozen C-rank Awakeners, three B-ranks, and one lieutenant. Dimon is up there. He''s the one leading the first floor. They have made some sort of stronghold." In the east wing of the first floor, all the chairs and tables are placed together into a barricade toward the hallway. Standing in front of the makeshift barricade is one goon trying to look tough. However, his two shaking legs betray him. Everyone has learned of the fact that the ground floor was completely decimated by some man. Everyone is dead, and only their boss, Nadyr, was able to survive the attack. This spreads an intense fear amongst all other goons, making them want to run for their lives at any moment. But they don''t have any other choice. A deserter will face a much crueler fate than dying here. All of their friends and family will be harmed by the Roof if they even dare to show hesitation. And then the figure appears, behind it are two half-naked men with white cloth covering their lower halves. The guard finds the cloth very familiar. It''s as if they''re their usual bedsheets. The truth is they are bedsheets inside one of the rooms that Hugo and Anton take to make their new costume. There are clothes lying around for them to wear, but the two insist on wrapping the bedsheets as it ''perfects'' their angelic look. The guard''s face is as pale as paper. His shaking voice says: "Do not... come here! We will..." Thunder roars, and a lightning bolt pierces through his head, exploding it into several pieces. Smoke releases from the tip of the Destruction Wand, floating gently through the air. Blue energy of Force Shocker pours out of Blaze''s hand and into the bone wand, ready to fire again. "Stop right there!" A puff of white smoke suddenly appears, and inside are Dimon and a girl wearing skimpy clothing. Dimon hides behind the girl, holding a large knife to her neck. The girl''s breath is shallow and rapid, her eyes moving between the knife and Blaze. She whimpers and cries in fear for her life. "Please... Please don''t kill me..." "Shut up, bitch! I''m not the one who decides. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Look over there! See that freak? That is the one who decides whether you live or die now." Blaze''s brows furrow, and his head moves slightly to the side. "You hear me!" Dimon continues. "Get the fuck out of here, or I''m going to kill this bitch! If you come forward, she is going to die! You hear me! Her blood is going to be on your hand!" "What a joke." Blaze answers, his voice echoes from every direction in the rooms. "What did you say?" Dimon tries to act tough, but sweat is running on his face. A ball of darkness starts to form itself at the tip of Blaze''s wand. Dimon presses the knife into her skin, blood gushes out of the hostage''s skin. She cries louder and tries to escape. Dimon''s firm grip holds her in place. The pain causes her to stop moving, or else the blade can seep deeper, ending her life. Dimon doesn''t thrust the blade in as he sees Blaze has not fired yet. "Are you deaf? I''m going to kill this bitch if you don''t leave! It''s because of you that she''s going to die!" "It''s you who holds the knife. It''s you who wants to kill her. Letting you live means many others may suffer. If you try to kill her, I will try to stop you. If you successfully kill her, then I fail to save her. Then I will kill you to avenge her. Her blood is on your hand. And if she dies, you die." The black beam of darkness shoots out. Chapter 45: First Lieutenant Chapter 45 - 45: First Lieutenant"You heartless bastard!" Dimon thrashes the poor girl''s neck. Blood spurts out like fountain water, and she falls to the ground, twitching and struggling in pain. Dimon disappears in a smoke, the black beam misses him, but it continues to go inside of the barricade. "No one can escape my sight." Blaze clenches his jaw, focusing all his mental power on the Destruction Beam. The black beam bolts inside of the stronghold fly past all the goons and innocents inside. "Stray bullet!" "Get down!" And then the girls scream for their lives, and everyone inside scatters into chaos, trying to avoid the beam of death. The black beam dashes in a zigzag pattern, going around all the people without even grazing them. A puff of smoke materializes, and Dimon appears just in time to meet the Destruction Beam. "No way!" He disappears again, this time teleporting to the metal stairs outside the window, the fire emergency exit. The beam follows him, breaking through the window. "Get lost!" Dimon disappears again, this time teleporting to the backyard of the building. From here, he can see all the girls that William and Rae are rescuing. The captives recognize him. He is a notorious menace and abuser inside the Roof. Everyone is afraid of him. Whenever they did something wrong, Dimon was there to punish them. His teleportation ability becomes an omniscient symbol inside the Roof. No one can hide from Dimon. He will find you, and he will hurt you. His name is pronounced similar to ''diamond'' but behind his back, they all call him ''demon'' instead. Because he is a demon inside and out. Everyone runs away when Dimon appears, they try to get as far as they can from him. His presence means nothing good to them. "It''s the demon!" "Get out! Get out! Get out!" "Heh?!" Dimon smirks. He finds joy in the way people are afraid of him. It''s just like they were only subhuman compared to him, only ants in a yard to crush. This moment of thought ruins him as the Destruction Beam has caught up. It pierces through Dimon''s stomach, his insides fall out like a pig being gutted. Dimon vomits blood, smoke materializes as he tries to teleport away again. The black beam turns back and, once again, pierces through his body. This time it makes a hole inside his shoulder, disrupting his teleportation. But that isn''t the end. It comes back several more times, digging out holes after holes on his body. Dimon becomes a lifeless puppy and falls down to the ground. The beam comes back one last time, slicing him from the middle of his head right through his groin. Dimon''s body is cut in two. [You have gained 250 experience points!] Then, the black beam finally disappears. All the people around are shocked by the scene. Their faces lose all their color. Someone is even vomiting. They are disgusted by the execution, but none pity the demon. He has done far worse and to far too many people. They all think he deserves it. A captive girl suddenly laughs out loud. She laughs like a mental patient. She laughs until her tears appear, and she begins to cry. "You die good... Die good..." The girl whimpers and speaks nonsense. Some of her friends console her, they are hugging each other. It''s the only thing that they could do in the Roof. Enduring the pain and shame and then comforting each other. Back at the first floor, the people in the stronghold look out the window, only to see the horrifying death of Dimon. He was a true B-rank Awakened. A strong one, in fact. It is not easy to kill him even with heavy firepower. His teleportation makes him a sly fish that is hard to catch. But it is nothing to compare with that black beam. It chased him to the end of Earth and executed him in the most painful way possible. Thunder roars, and the barricade breaks into pieces. The wall is also crushed completely. From the smoke and dust walked out a shadow figure with a white face and red eyes. It looks terrifying and strikes fear into the hearts of men. Blaze looks no different than a God of Death. His presence is even more enhanced with the two winged humans behind him. Two half-naked men with giant pairs of blue wings behind their backs. For some reason, they look otherworldly, godlike, and out of their understanding. Standing beside Hugo and Anton is the girl that was being held hostage. Her throat was cut, but with a sip of the Blood Potion, her neck closed immediately and her wound healed to perfect. There isn''t even a scar on her neck. She runs to the other girls when Blaze enters. The first goon drops his blade and kneels down. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Please spare me!" Then many more follow. The sound of metal dropping on the ground keeps ringing. Machete, knife, bat, and handguns, one after another, fall to the ground. Their head touches the ground, and the goons do not dare to look up. The only ones who are still standing are the captive girls. They all are looking at him intensely. The term ''superhero'' comes from their history. Back then, not everyone had superpowers. Only a few special individuals possessed it. These individuals used their power for good. To protect the people, to attack the bad guy, and to build hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. But this term has been twisted with time as more and more people become an Awakened. Now, it only means those who registered their power to the Awakened League. Almost everyone has superpowers. Almost everyone is called a superhero. Then, no one is a superhero anymore. It has become an ordinary title, no different than a manager of a restaurant. People have soon lost hope in this term. But there he stands, Blaze Singer, with his less than positive appearance and antagonistic behavior. He killed the man in a cold-blooded and gruesome fashion. But in the captive''s eyes, he is, now, a true superhero. Blaze takes a look around the room. All the goons are scared to death. None even try to attack him. At the end of the day, they are still nothing more than normal people. People who decide to become criminals to harm others for their benefit. Maybe someone else will show them a better way. To guide them into the right path again. To try and become a good man. This someone, unfortunately, is not Blaze. "Kill yourselves." Blaze simply says. The goons are terrified already, no need for him to use the Hidden Power Fear. He can use Voices straightaway and deliver them to death. And the goons pick up their weapon on the floor and start to commit suicide. They stab their weapon into their flesh. For blunt weapons, they hit themselves on the head repeatedly until they are dead. If they don''t, they will keep bashing their skull onto the floor to make sure the job is done. [You have gained 100 experience points!] [You have gained 100 experience points!] [You have gained 250 experience points!] [...] The girls are horrified. They cover their faces to not look at the bloody scene. But some hold on and try to witness the scene. These men have violated them over and over, treating their bodies like merchandise and their dignity like trash. They want to see them die. They have dreamed about a scene like this for many, many nights. "You girls can go down to the ground floor. There are people that can help you." Blaze says. The girls brace themselves and slowly walk out of the room. They all look at Blaze intensely when they walk past him. It''s as if they want to engrave his appearance to the end of time and never forget it. A girl says: "What''s your name, sir?" Blaze looks over to her. The girl jumps a little, afraid that something may happen. But answering her is only a soft, gentle voice. "I am the Wraith." Chapter 46: Stockholm Syndrome Chapter 46 - 46: Stockholm SyndromeAll the captives leave the room. Blaze does his usual routine, the Lantern appears in his hand to collect all the souls lying around. Twelve souls fly inside the lantern, increasing its population. Dimon''s soul also leaves his mess of a body and joins his comrades. 43 souls now reside inside the prison of souls. He lets them burn for a while to feel the pain their cruelty has caused. For Dimon, Blaze takes a look inside his memory first before tossing him inside the fire with the rest. Isaac returns from scouting, reporting the current situation of the upper floor. "They have all gone to the roof, Master!" "It seems like Nadyr has made up his mind." Blaze says. "What do you mean, Sire?" Hugo says. "Nadyr has decided to go all in." Leaving his lieutenant on the first floor was simply a tactical move. Nadyr was trying to see if the hostage could slow Blaze down. Now that Dimon is dead, it is clear as day that Blaze will stop at nothing to see his death. "What about the captives?" Blaze says. "They are gathered inside the fourth floor. Trying to make an ambush..." "What?!" Anton says. "What are those girls thinking? Isn''t Sire here to save them?" Hugo shakes his head. "The girls in the lower floors are true slaves. But those who are on the higher floors are different. They may be held here against their will, but some of them are being treated very well. They are the main cash cows of the Roof anyway. Living a luxury life and partying all day, doing nothing except getting high and being fucked. Give it enough time, and they will see the Roof as their true home. And when someone invades their home..." "They fight back!" Anton finishes Hugo''s sentence. "This is crazy! Who fights to protect their own prison? "Hugo is right. Stay here for far too long, and you may forget what it''s like to truly be free. Even if we release them, they might not be able to survive the world out there." "We can just ignore them, Sire. Hugo and I will follow you and strike the roof together! They are all there, right?" "No, Anton." Isaac says. "The fourth and fifth floors are merged together. There is no elevator to the fifth floor. If we want to get on the roof, we need to get through the fourth floor." Anton scratches his bald head intensely. This is too complicated for him. "Enough. We keep moving forward. Whatever happens will happen." The upper floors girls may have lost their senses, but that will not stop Blaze in his tracks. If they really think that staying here is good for them and they want to fight Blaze for it, he will show no mercy. They all move to the nearest elevator. But it does not go down even when Blaze calls it several times. Isaac turns into the fireball and goes up to check. He soon returns with further information. "All elevators are disabled. Only the main one is functional. They are ambushing that only elevator. The girls are all holding guns, aiming at the elevator door. If we go up..." "Aargh!" Anton scratches his bald head even more. "Where are they located? Point me to the area where they set up the ambush." The group follows the raven to the center of the building. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Up here. They''re all sitting around this area, ready to blast Master when you go up." "What should we do, Sire? Going up in the elevator may be too dangerous." Hugo says. "We just need to make our own way." Blue energy pours inside the Destruction Wand. Facing Thunderbolt''s power, these walls are nothing more than paper. Blaze blasts out the ceiling of the first floor and goes up to the second floor. He keeps making holes to go up, a straight drilling to the upper floors. Then on the third floor. Blaze turns to Hugo and Anton. "They are going to fall down from here. Try to catch them if you can." "What if they attack us, Sire?" Hugo says. "If it''s an enemy, strike them down." Hugo and Anton nod. Their blue wings spread out, ready for action. And then the bone wand lights up in blue. Thunder roars, and the ceiling of the third floor breaks apart. A few minutes earlier, on the fourth floor. The girls are all standing around the main elevator. They are wearing very revealing clothes, some with only underwear on them. They are the merchandise, so it is best to show the customers what they''re buying. The girls do not wear any armor, but each of them holds a rifle in their hand. They took tables and beds from the surrounding room to create makeshift covers around the elevator. If that thing even makes a sound, all of them will start blasting. Standing in the middle of the girls is a muscular, brown-haired girl. She has a thick coat of makeup on her face. Her lips are unnaturally big, and her chest protrudes out in a provoking fashion. This is a girl who has gone through many cosmetic surgeries. "Remember! He is attacking our home! We can''t let some nobody disrupt our livelihood! What will happen if the customers are angry? Nadyr will be angry! The lieutenants will be angry! Then we will all suffer! Take care of the intruder, and then we can continue on with our lives like normal!" The girl screams with all her being. A smaller, more timid girl speaks aloud. "But Anne... Why should we attack the intruder? Aren''t they here to help us?" Anne slaps the girl so hard, she''s rolling on the ground. "Are you stupid, Iris? You think someone is here to save us? No! It''s probably some enemy gangs coming to disrupt our business. It happens all the time! Then what will happen when they leave? Aren''t we going to continue our jobs as usual? Then Nadyr will punish all of the naughty girls like you who think there''s a way out of here! This is our home, don''t you understand? We are whores. Nobody wants us. Nobody will give us a chance. This is our only hope. What are you going to do even if you are let free, huh? Where can a whore get a job? Where can a whore get a husband? Get those shitty thoughts outside your head and know your place!" The small girl, Iris, gets herself up. A red hand is visible on her left cheek. "Whatever, Anne! You think just because you are Nadyr''s favorite, you are any different than us? You are nothing more than a slave!" Iris throws her rifle down to the ground. "I will take no part in this. Either you kill me, or Nadyr will kill me later." "You little bitch!" Anne walks over and raises her hand, but another girl steps forward. "Fuck off, Anne. You are no longer the ''Big Sister'' anymore. This place is going down! And we are getting out of here!" This girl stands her ground with Iris. Then another joins her. Then another. Soon, there are two separate groups on the fourth floor. One that is loyal to their captor. And the others are the rebels. "These stupid bitches! I will tell all of you to Nadyr!" Suddenly the entire building shakes. The girls stumble in place. A few fall on their butt. "What''s happening?" "An earthquake!" And then another vibration. This time much closer to their position. Most of the girls fall on the ground. "What is going on?!" "Mama, help me!" "It''s an earthquake! Earthquake!" The vibration stops for a few seconds. The girls stay still, trying to calm themselves down. "I think it''s finished..." A girl says, but then the floor beneath her cracks and crumbles. She falls down into the lower floors. Along with her are several more girls. A rope shoots out from the new hole, pulling a dark figure up from the third floor. Blaze lands gently on the fourth floor, looking around. Chapter 47: Acquaintances Chapter 47 - 47: AcquaintancesHugo reaches his hand out to Anton. His body fades and becomes three balls of energy flying around Anton. They have now become one. One mind and one body. This fusion is even more powerful than their original Mutual Sharing power. Back then, they could only fuse their powers. But now, it almost seems like they are becoming one. [Your clone ''Hugo'' has fused with your other clone ''Anton''] [Steel Modification (D-rank) is temporarily upgraded to Steel Manipulation (B-rank)] [Minor Temporal Manipulation (B-rank) has fused with Energy Dispersion (B-rank) and become Temporal Energy Manipulation (A-rank)] Two pairs of wings spread behind Hutton''s body. His face becomes part Hugo and part Anton. Hutton has short hair, a combination of Hugo''s long hair and Anton''s bald head. Hutton''s face is extremely serious, losing all of his counterparts'' usual antics. When the ceiling breaks and the girls are falling down, Hutton lifts his hand up. White energy pours out of his skin and covers the air. The girls fall extremely slowly, making it easy for Huton to fly up and carry each girl to safety. Blaze observes everything and smiles. A rather welcome surprise. Giving Hugo and Anton new bodies has led to changes to their original powers. Maybe because they have the same genetics, their fusion now greatly enhanced their strength. Their individual powers even fused into an A-rank power. Blaze lets Hutton do his job. He shoots the Grappling Hook on the fourth floor and gets up there. Upon landing, Blaze can see the girls are separated into two groups. One is led by a very odd-looking girl with extreme lips. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The other is led by a small, timid girl. The girls who stand with Anne immediately raise their guns toward Blaze. He has no hesitation and speaks: "Fear!" Dark red energy pours out and drills into these girls, causing them to writhe in fear. Even Anne pisses herself and cowers in a corner. Blaze then looks over to the other group. They all step back and try to get far away from him. "Are you going to shoot me too?" Blaze says. Iris shakes her head and reaches her hand out, lowering the gun barrels that the other girls are holding. "We have no intention of stopping you. Only them!" Pointing a gun at an Awakened is a stupid action. Speedsters, telepaths, and mind controllers can neutralize you at any moment. That''s why guns aren''t even that popular in Ranas. All weapons are useless in front of absolute powers. "You can get out. There are people outside that will help you." "Thank you." Iris says. "Are you going to kill Nadyr?" "I am." "Can I help?" "No offense, lady. Are you a B-rank?" Blaze says. "No... I''m only a C-rank. But I can help you deal with other C-ranks!" Iris says. "We can help too!" The other girls say. "We have wanted to kill them for so long!" "Let us kill those bastards!" Isaac flies from somewhere and drops the master key on Blaze''s hand. He ponders a few seconds, thinking if letting them help is a good idea. Hutton flies up from the third floor and kneels down in front of Blaze. "The girls are secured, Sire!" His new look makes him actually resemble an angel. Four wings, a serious expression, and a very handsome face. For some reason, when they fuse together, they become really attractive. Hugo is too skinny, and Anton is too broad. Now, Hutton is the perfect sculpture of a bodybuilder god. This even catches the eyes of the girls, making them observe him without blinking. The flying energy balls orbiting around him make Hutton look even more angelic. "They want to help fight the criminals. If you can lead them, I''ll allow them to join us. What do you say?" "It is my honor to lead the victims to fight back against their aggressor, Sire. Leave it to me!" Hutton then turns toward the girl. "Listen here! If you want to help, you must listen to me! No disobeying my order, or you are out! Everyone got it?" His voice is solemn and reverberates in the air. A holy vibe sticks to it. "We understand, sir." Iris says. The other girls nod in unison. "Whenever you are ready, Sire!" Hutton turns back again, lowering his head. He treats Blaze no differently from royalty. This makes the girls more curious and assume several theories inside their head. Blaze doesn''t know if it''s a good or a bad thing either. He presses the release button on the master key. The dampening cuffs on the girls fall on the ground, gaining them their powers once more. Iris rubs her sore wrists. She wears these for so long they have left permanent marks on her skin. But she can finally feel her power returning. "To me, my armor!" A purple diamond appears on her chest. Its light covers her entirely. When the light disappears, standing there is a knight in purple steel with a heavy long sword. "The Violet Blade?!" Isaac blurts out. "You know her?" Blaze says. "Yes! ''He'' was a popular hero two or three years ago. But then he disappeared and was never heard from again. No wonder no one can find him. The Violet Blade is a girl!" "Thank you for freeing me." Iris says. Her voice is deep and low due to the effect of the armor. Around her, the other girls begin to exude their powers also. Some are physical. Some manipulate energy. All kinds of powers light up. "Refrain your power!" Huton loudly says. "Save them for your aggressors!" The girls calm down. "Wait for my signal." Blaze says. Upon the roof, Nadyr stands with the rest of his lieutenants and henchmen. The rest of the customers are also there. The roof bar is in shambles. Broken furniture is all around, glass pieces are on the floor, and a few girls are lying motionless. It seems like when the captives learned that a powerful Awakened attacked this place, there was a riot. But Nadyr has repressed it in time. "There''s nothing to worry about, Nadyr." An old, fat guy says. His hair is as grey as a wolf''s fur. "What can he do? Kill us all?" "I''m afraid he might do that, Mr. Yates." Nadyr says. "Please, boy. If he dares kill me, there isn''t a place inside Akansa where he can live." The fat guy says. His name is Ian Yates, he can be counted as one of the most influential people in Akansa. Blaze actually knows him very well. On the floor near Ian, there is a woman in her thirties. She wears an office costume with a white shirt and a long black dress. Ian walks over to the woman and steps his stinking foot on her. "Oi! Are you still awake, Miss Ferguson?" The woman''s silent tears flow out, her face as lifeless as a corpse. Her eyes lost their emotions a while ago. Bruises and cuts are all over her body. They were trying to torture her into submission. "Oi! Don''t ignore me now! Are you willing to be my bitch yet? All of this pain can be stopped if you just be a good girl and be my little slut." The eyes of the woman gain focus again. Her consciousness returned. She spits on his face. "You stubborn bitch!" Right as he tries to kick her, the entire scene is filled with blue light, and thunder roars right after. Chapter 48: The Veil Beneath Chapter 48 - 48: The Veil BeneathThe lightning bolt finds its way to Ian. A transparent shockwave suddenly appears. It pushes back the barrier and completely evaporates it. Then it enlarges and covers the entire building inside. In the center of the roof, a particular device is pulsing yellow light. It looks like a tree stump made out of steel. Four smaller legs accompany it and anchor the device into the building floor. Blaze has seen this device in Dimon''s memory. It is what Preston had talked about, a Barrier that can prevent Awakened from being pulled into the Void. Blaze slowly walks forward, his eyes darting from person to person, naming each familiar face. "Ian Yates, Principal of Akansa High. Nash Sanders, gym teacher of Akansa High. Wesley Dawson, Akansa City Councillor. Connor Rodriguez, Secretary of the Akansa Trade Union. ..." The goons and customers all step back whenever Blaze moves forward. They all are afraid of him. His short presence in the Roof has made a long-lasting effect on their mentality. "All the high officials in Akansa are all here! Wow!" Blaze says sarcastically. "Almost all of the B-ranks as well." Back in the Void, Blaze was curious as to why none of the B-rank Awakeners were present. Even in Akansa High, where a few teachers are B-rank, none were there as well. Only the low-ranked students were pulled in. Now he knows the truth. They are all high as a kite. Their clothes are sloppy, and their faces look like they just woke up from a hangover. The bunch of bottles lying around, trash littering everywhere, and so many dirty substances can be seen. While the low rank and the students were trying to find a way to survive and get out of the Mirror Layer. These high-ranking Awakeners were partying, doing all kinds of obscene acts. "You... You know who I am! How dare you stand here?!" Ian shouts with all the air inside his lungs. Blase walks up to him and looks down. His newfound height makes him much taller than this corrupted principal. He remembers this fat old man. It was he who denied Blaze all the opportunities to clear his name. It was he who allowed all the bullying to happen to him. Ian allowed Jake and Veronica to do whatever they wanted. And when they broke Blaze''s legs, Ian punished him even more because of their lies. He was expelled. He was called a rapist. Blaze did not understand it at the time. But now he gets it. Ian was just trying to protect his own kind. "What are you..." Ian says, but Blaze doesn''t even allow him to finish. He bitch-slaps the principal with his backhand. The fat guy is sent flying into the air, crashing on a nearby table. The big meat sack crushes all the bottles and glasses on the table. Then he slides off, smacking his entire body on the floor. His fat and short figure reminds Blaze too much of Phuc. This irritates him. The principal''s foot was also stomping on some poor girl. Blaze can''t allow that to continue. He squats down to check on the girl. "Are you alright?" The woman lifts her head up. Blaze recognizes her. "Wynona Ferguson?" She was Blaze''s head teacher. An actual teacher with a heart inside that goddamn school. She even tried to help Blaze when he was framed. Wynona is a B-rank Awakened. Blaze was wondering why she was not in the Void. He suspected that she may be corrupted like them, but he is wrong. She was simply captured and brought here against her will. "You know me?" Wynona mumbles, her weak voice is barely audible. Blaze pats her head gently, trying to give her some comfort. "I know everyone here. Don''t worry. I''ll take care of them." He stands up, darting his eyes around to find Nadyr in the crowd. "Are you still going to hide, Boss?" Blaze says. He saw in the memory of Dimon how they addressed Nadyr. Nadyr steps forward, eyes hawking at Blaze like a predator assessing its prey. "Leave this place. And I will act like this attack never happened." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Blaze laughs hysterically. His entire body is shaking, and his back curves unnaturally. "Are you really still trying to talk your way out of this? I know that you were a soldier. A very good one at that. What happened? Why did you become this much of a coward?" Blaze is determined to save Alyson. His will blocks off all fear and hesitation. But in truth, he was afraid to a degree. In William''s memory, Nadyr was a monster. A man that makes everyone tremble with his very presence. He is harsh, cold, and not afraid of anybody. At least, that is what is in William''s memory. But now that Blaze sees the real man behind. He was nothing more than a scared little boy who avoided all confrontation with Blaze. So this is the true face of all those tyrants people are afraid of. Phuc was pathetic in his final moment. Jake lost his tough persona the moment he became the weak. Veronica is nothing more than a sniveling baby. William lost all his dignity just after a few hours of burning. Well, it''s not like he has any to begin with. And now, Nadyr Brozovic. His right palm trembles lightly, the fingers twitching from time to time. The guy clenches and stretches his fist repeatedly to try and stop the trembling, but it doesn''t help at all. Blaze tilts his head and looks at Nadyr''s palm. He does not hide his contempt at all. The guy hides his hand behind his back like a child that just did something wrong. "Why are you here?" Nadyr musters up the courage to speak. "Why do you do this? Why kill so many of us? Who sent you? Whatever price they give, I can double it for you. Triple if you aren''t satisfied." "Hahaha! My gosh, Nadyr. You still don''t get it, do you?" Blaze''s joking tone suddenly changes. The deep, dark voice of death comes back to haunt everyone that is standing here. "No one. No criminals in this place will walk out of here alive. You. Ian Yates. The Secretary. The sergeant... Every single one of you will die by my hand." Nadyr takes a deep breath. His right hand stops shaking, and he pulls out a gun from behind. "Your sixth power is very strong. You make us feel our deepest fear. You control my men to kill themselves. It must be some sort of telepathic power, right? It can easily wipe us all out. None of us have any mental superpower to combat your power. Unfortunately for you. This thing here is built especially for people like you." Nadyr puts his hand on the Barrier device. "You know... This thing does not only prevent people from getting sucked inside the Void. It can also neutralize every superpower in its effective radius. This means that... You are nothing more than a normal person right now." Nadyr aims his gun at Blaze. "You should have gotten away when I gave you the chance." Ian wakes up. Several glass pieces stick inside his flesh. He is now a bloody, ugly porcupine. "It hurts! It hurts!" Ian yells in pain. The fainting spares him from feeling the pain, but now it drives him insane. "You will regret this, motherfucker! I''ll make sure we parade your naked body on the street! The mayor will execute you!" Blaze raises his wand toward Ian. "I told you. All power is neutralized here." Nadyr says. "Is that so?" Blaze smirks. The shade of yellow fills the scene. A yellow lightning bolt shoots out of the wand and pierces through the principal of Akansa High.