The sun had set, and now twin moons cast their glow—one white, one blue—across the ruined alleys and crooked streets of Zilt. The battlefield of superhumans had fallen still, the air thick with blood and mud.
Raka stood leaning against a crumbling stone wall, one arm torn clean off and lying limp on the ground. He was breathing hard, the weight of blood loss visible in the twitch of his eye. Cruiser, meanwhile, still had all his limbs intact, but his arms were purple and swollen, veins throbbing with the remnants of battle. He stared at Raka, whose bloodshot eyes still gleamed with feral hate. The only reason Raka wasn't lunging now was that his body had finally failed him. If he had the strength, he would've bitten through Cruiser's throat with his teeth.
Raka's lip curled as he began to laugh, a crazed sound bubbling out of him. Then, with blood in his teeth, he spat, "Hey, street rat. Think you can rebuild all this? Claim my turf without backlash? And seeing Skell isn't here..."
Cruiser cut him off, stepping forward, voice calm but laced with venom. "You really gone senile, huh? Did you forget what's coming in three weeks?"
Raka blinked. Then realization dawned. "The Vorpal Eclipse... huh?"
Cruiser smirked. "Exactly. Town rebuilding expenses are gonna wipe the slate clean. As for your vice leader..."
He leaned in.
"I have my ways."
Without hesitation, Cruiser's hand pierced through Raka's chest, fingers curling around his still-beating heart. Raka choked, blood spraying from his mouth. His body spasmed, then sagged. Cruiser yanked out the heart and raised it toward the moons like an offering. Blood dripped from his fingers, cascading over his face and chest. A sinister smile adorned his face.
Zilt's strongest gang leader had fallen. And a new one had just claimed his throne in blood.
Moments later, a man stumbled through the smoke and rubble, clutching a limp right arm. His head was half bald, with a bloodstained patch where hair had been violently torn out, as if gnawed on by a rat. Blood stained his clothes. This was the rogue Cruiser had hired to take care of Skell.
For a second, the rogue froze—eyes widening at the sight of Cruiser's blood-drenched form, heart pounding with instinctive fear. But anger burned hotter. He shook it off and barked, "Cruiser! Who the hell is that brat Zegion?! And why's that freak Frank with him?!"
Cruiser's blood-drenched smirk faded. He frowned, running a hand through his soaked hair. The rogue was a former adventurer—exiled from the Guild for abusing his teammates and harassing staff. A scumbag through and through. But strong. Strong enough to be considered useful.
Cruiser cursed under his breath. He had made a mistake in choosing this Idiot.
As he turned to walk past, the rogue grabbed his shoulder. "Don't ignore me, you bastard. I—"
Cruiser didn't even look back. His voice was low, sharp as broken glass.
"What. Did. You. Do? What did they do? If you lie even once, I'll scoop your eyes out and make you swallow them while sewer rats gut your belly. Understand?"
The rogue paled. He nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah. I... I was following Skell after he killed a couple of your men—right after that lanky kid warned your boys and ruined the ambush. And Skell went after him. I tried to keep up, but I'm new to the alleys here, so I kinda Lost track fast. I figured I'd kill time by collecting some coin from the street rats."
Cruiser's eyes flicked with recognition. That brown-haired kid was a Loyal one. But it was a shame, he thought, as Skell would probably tear him apart.
The rogue huffed and continued. "And then some damned adventurer had the nerve to yell at me. So I had to shut him up. But before I could keep going, this black-haired brat with a sack on his back told me to back off."
The rogue's voice rose with outrage. "So I punched or at least tried. But my arm went limp before it even landed! Then needles—I shit you not—just floated around him. One hit my bicep and I didn't even see it coming. I went full-on assault mode, but the bastard kept dodging. And then that freak showed up. Frank. He just ripped a chunk of my hair and I got the hell outta there."
The rogue kicked a broken beam, splinters scattering. "I'm gonna kill 'em. Both of them!"
Cruiser narrowed his eyes. Floating needles. Paralysis. And Frank. He was currently the strongest in the back alleys, so he could negotiate well with the Solana Merchant Guild if needed—especially since Zegion had their backing. As for Frank, Cruiser was fine leaving him alone.
"Leave the boy and the freak alone," Cruiser muttered. "Find Skell. Dead or alive. But if you touch the other two, I'll flay you myself."
The rogue said nothing, nodding meekly. Cruiser walked away into the deeper, untouched parts of his turf and collapsed in a hut with hay for a bed.
___________________
In the Zilt market area, things were not going well. There was a level 150 monster ready to skin the kids standing before him alive, but these kids were using magic so well that it knocked off one of their own members who was level 60.
Skell rushed forward at Jin as he seemed the most dangerous for now, but as Jin braced himself for the attack, Skell twisted his legs toward Ludwig who seemed like the weak link in this team. But he had made a mistake, because Ludwig, even though unreliable and sloppy on the surface, had the most talent for magic out of the other three. As Skell approached Ludwig with his sword in a horizontal stance, he saw something approaching his legs and immediately jumped. What seemed almost invisible was a wind blade released by the shaking boy. If he had aimed for Skell's heart or neck, it would have been dangerous, but Skell was relieved that the kids weren't trained in practical combat yet.
However, his momentary halt wasn't missed by the other two. They tried the same sequence they had used on the eyepatch guy—Yuna cast a quagmire spell while Lumine used a flashbang. But Skell easily loosened his legs and rushed at Ludwig. Jin, anticipating the move, reached Ludwig and crossed his arms to brace for Skell's sword. The sword, filled with grey aura like that of Raka, slashed Jin's hands, causing him to grunt in pain. If not for Jin's aura, his hands would have been cut off clean.
Skell, having his strike blocked, frowned and readied another attack when Yuna's boiling water spell reached his eyes. He dodged it by stepping back, while Lumine cast her healing magic on Jin. The bleeding stopped, and a part of Jin's cut arm showed fresh flesh.
Ludwig cast an air ball and added small fire to it, creating an unconventional fireball that got bigger as it reached Skell. But Skell just waved it off with his aura-clad left arm and rushed at Yuna. This time his right arm held the sword, tip aimed to pierce the silver-haired girl.
Jin shouted at Yuna, desperation evident in his voice, but she remained unnervingly calm. Her outstretched hand trembled slightly, yet the magic circle within it pulsed steadily as her sharp eyes locked onto Skell's every movement like a sabretooth tracking its prey. The sword tip came like a flash, gleaming with deadly grey aura, inching closer to her heart. But just as it was about to pierce her chest, Yuna shifted slightly, and the blade carved through her left shoulder instead causing a sickening noise as the magic circle dissolved into the air.
A cry escaped her lips, as pain etched deep lines into her young face. Her knees buckled, but her gaze never left Skell as she held onto the sword for support. Her fingers, slick with blood. But she looked directly into Skell's eyes, tears welled up and red lines threaded through her eyes from overexertion.
Skell's eyes widened in disbelief seeing her battered right hand rising once more. The magic circle was unstable, and weaker than before. But it didn't matter. The small boiling water spell burst from her palm and struck Skell straight in the face at point-blank range.
The boiling water seared into his skin with a vicious hiss, turning flesh red as angry blisters bubbled across his face. Skell screamed, the sound more beast than man, stumbling backward as he clutched at the scorched ruin of his once-handsome face. Yuna, her shoulder run through and blood soaking her sleeve, as she collapsed to her knees, her body trembling from the pain and exhaustion. Her mana was completely spent. Ludwig and Lumine were in no better shape, their faces pale and breaths ragged, magic reserves entirely depleted. Jin stood among them, nearly out of strength himself, his chest heaving, but he had some more aura to spare. He wasn't done yet.
Without wasting the opportunity, Jin dashed forward and punched Skell, who was still clutching his face. He remembered Zegion's morning lesson on mana points—particularly the neck, where two pressure points existed on either side of the bulged part visible in males.
Jin cupped his hands and thrust with massive force at Skell's neck as if to choke him. The impact landed. Skell began coughing, his breathing ragged and labored.
Jin readied his fists again, but his aura was completely depleted. Still, he moved to throw a punch—when it happened.
Skell's reddened eyes stared at Jin, and his aura flared with rage. The murderous pressure froze Jin in place—it was just like what Zegion had done yesterday, but more malicious. Skell stood up, still coughing, his face a crumpled mess of blisters and burnt flesh. His once-handsome face now looked hideous.
He was beyond enraged. He wanted to break everything, to make these kids beg for death—especially the silver-haired girl first, the reddish-haired boy second, and the others who had made him look like this later.
He moved toward Yuna first, the one who had ruined his face. Jin, unable to stand due to the pressure, held Skell's leg to stop him. Skell grabbed Jin by the hair and slammed his face into the cobbled streets. Yuna tried to stop him, as she approached him with sloppy steps but was grabbed by the neck in Skell's left hand. His right hand continued smashing Jin to the ground.
Blood flowed. Teeth broke, but Skell wasn't stopping. His rage had blinded him.
Lumine and Ludwig couldn't move, crushed by the pressure. They watched in horror as Jin was brutalized. With trembling hands, tears and snot pouring down, they cried for help, begging him to stop.
That was when needles flew into Skell's bicep and elbow joint. His arms went limp, dropping both Jin and Yuna from his vice grip.
He looked up.
Two figures were approaching at full speed.
Unfortunately for Skell, he knew both of them.
Zegion and Scary Frank had arrived.