My essence reserves weren't infinite. I could use attract and repulse about twenty-one more times before depletion. If I relied on null or hypergravity, I'd have only three or four uses left before dropping to critical levels.
A slow chuckle filled the room. "Hehehe… seems like I've found an interesting one."
An aura erupted—stronger, more oppressive than the last. My stomach dropped. 'Not good. A three-star Rank 3.'
Before I could react, the figure blurred. A sickening crack echoed as his foot connected with my chest, sending me crashing into the far wall.
'Damn, I think my ribs are broken,' I thought, coughing up blood. Pain knifed through my lungs.
"Did you think I'd let an unknown ability user attack first?" he laughed.
I struggled to rise, but he appeared before me again. A brutal kick connected with my chin, and my vision blacked out momentarily. My world spun, my ears rang, and for a moment, I could have sworn I even forgot my own name.
I crashed to the ground, pain flaring through my skull. My jaw hung at an odd angle—dislocated. 'He's not giving me a chance to retaliate.' If I wanted to survive, I needed to catch him off guard.
Summoning the last reserves of my strength, I activated my ability.
Gravity in the room increased fivefold.
The assassin's face twisted in shock as his body nearly slammed into the ground. But with incredible agility, he pivoted off his hands and steadied himself midair.
'What the hell!?' Even under increased gravity, he could still move?
He sneered. "With my speed, even with added weight, I'm still leagues faster than you."
'His bloodline ability—super speed,' I realized as an idea formed.
He dashed at me again. This time, I saw him coming.
"Null." I activated my ability with increased essence. Gravity vanished instantly.
"What!?" he gasped, his body suddenly floating along with everything else in the room.
Ignoring the agony wracking my body, I summoned my sword. "Speedsters like you rely on the ground. Take it away, and you're just flailing prey. Especially ones like you that rely on propulsion".
He barely had time to process his predicament before I hurled my sword. He tried to dodge, but it was futile. The blade embedded itself in his throat. He choked, blood bubbling past his lips.
Within seconds, he stilled. If his speed was conceptual, I would have been done for, because it would encompass his entire beingbeing, reflexes, seeing everything in slow motion, and not being that bound by the g-forces. But his was only based on the propulsion provided by his legs and the ground.
With a heavy sigh, I deactivated my ability.
I had just killed a man.
And I felt… nothing.
No grief. No guilt. No satisfaction.
Just emptiness. But It was either him or me, and I chose me.
I retrieved my last healing potion and downed it. The bitter taste lingered as I slumped against the wall.
'Today really isn't my day.'
Shockwaves trembled through the air as titanic clashes echoed from all directions. The instructor was still locked in combat, her power radiating in violent bursts, while cadets fought desperately against the enemy. God knows how many casualties there would be when it was all over—but I sure as hell didn't plan to be one of them.
"My, my, what do we have here?"
The voice was smooth, seductive even, yet instead of comfort, it sent a chilling shiver down my spine. A woman emerged from the shadows, draped in the same black robes as the others. Her beauty was undeniable—delicate features, flawless skin, and lips curled into a knowing smile. But the look in her eyes? Predatory.
"A clever boy, using his abilities wisely to take down a foe stronger than himself. Quite the sight." Her lips parted in an amused chuckle. "I would've loved to give you a good time, but…" Her smile sharpened. "Too bad you're going to die today."
A pit formed in my stomach.
'A Rank 2.'
Despair gnawed at the edges of my mind. Her raw power eclipsed mine in every possible way. Strength. Speed. Skill. No tricks I knew would tip the scales in my favor. But surrender? That wasn't an option. If I was going to die, I might as well die fighting.
---
### **3rd POV**
Across the battlefield, carnage unfolded. The military forces fought fiercely, their numbers overwhelming, but the New Eden members fought like zealots, unyielding despite their losses. Bodies littered the ground—some in black robes, others in academy uniforms and military gear. Blood painted the soil, and the air was thick with the scent of steel and death.
Major Callahan, the head of the military outpost, stood at the heart of the chaos, locked in combat against a formidable black-robed adversary of equal rank. The two clashed like titans, every strike sending out concussive blasts that tore through the surroundings. He knew that if he fell, his soldiers' fates would be sealed.
Beyond the walls of the base, another battle unfolded.
Aurora stood, her amethyst eyes locked onto two black-robed figures—both Rank 2, both powerful. They sneered at her, one cackling.
"Give up, girl. You're outnumbered. Kekeke."
She didn't reply. What was the use anyway? They were going to die soon after all. They were both the same rank as her, three starred—rank 2. But she didn't even bat an eye, Instead, she summoned her weapon—a pristine longsword materialized in her delicate hand, its hilt white, the blade shimmering with a faint silver glow.
Then—she vanished. One moment she was there, and the next, she wasn't.
Faster than the blink of an eye, she reappeared right before them.
The first enemy barely had time to register her presence before her sword arced toward his throat.
A blue shield flared to life inches before impact, saving his neck—but not his dignity. The force of her strike sent him hurtling through the air like a broken kite.
"Be careful! She's a De Silva!" he roared as he crashed into the ground.
Panic flickered across the second enemy's face. The De Silva family was infamous—renowned for their abilities tied to space manipulation. Their bloodline gifts varied: teleportation, portal creation, spatial slashes, even intangibility. Each was nightmarish in combat.
Aurora remained impassive, watching as her first opponent struggled to his feet. 'He survived… disappointing.' She tightened her grip on her blade.
The second man immediately leapt back, trying to put distance between them. Futile.
She reappeared behind him.
His instincts screamed, and he swung his blade in desperation—too slow. She sidestepped with effortless grace, and a second later, his head separated from his shoulders.
His lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
The first man, the one with the shield, bellowed in rage. "You bitch! I'll kill you!" It seemed the fallen man was close to him. He charged, his body enshrouded in blue energy, his blade gleaming with murderous intent.
Aurora didn't move. She simply waited.
When their swords clashed, the air erupted with sparks, each impact sending out concussive shockwaves. Their duel was a dance of death, their movements too fast for lower-ranked fighters to follow. Steel screamed against steel as they exchanged hundreds of blows in mere seconds.
Then—a slip. A misstep.
And in that instant, he was sent flying.
"So what if you're stronger and can hit harder, at the end as long as I have my shield, you won't be able to lay a scratch on me hahahaha" he laughed maniacally before jumping towards her again, but this time she didn't stay passive, she appeared in front of him while he was mid jump and landed a devastating strike with her foot on his chest. He shot back to the ground like a meteor faster than he had jumped.
His body created a two meter wide crater, just that alone could justify the strength of the attack. He struggled stood up from the crater, this time he wasn't unscathed. He was coughing out blood, but how could this happen? Coughing blood, he struggled to rise, confusion and terror in his eyes. How? No one below Rank 1 had ever broken his shield.
'Seems I was right, it doesn't defend against shock, It has no shock absorbtion. I've seen enough' she thought.
Aurora's expression remained unreadable as a second blade—ethereal and shimmering purple—materialized in her free hand.
The man who was having a panic attack suddenly felt his world upside down, his vision blurred. Then he saw a familiar scene, he saw his own body crumpled and heeadless in the crater below.
'Is that... my body?' he thought. 'She was merely toying with me' that was his last thought before darkness.
Darkness took him before he could curse her name.
---
Elsewhere, another battle raged in the skies.
Two figures clashed midair, their blows generating shockwaves that rocked the battlefield. Instructor Cornwell and the New Eden operative—Carlton—were evenly matched.
Carlton suddenly disengaged, creating space between them. His gaze flickered toward the battlefield below.
"Hmph. Seems we underestimated your cadets," he mused. "Of the three Rank 2s I brought… only one remains."
Cornwell smirked. "What did you expect? They're from Nebula Academy."
Carlton's eyes gleamed. "Which is why next time, we won't underestimate them."
"Next time?" Her expression darkened. "There is no next time. You die here."
He chuckled. "We'll see about that."
A strange device—a compass-like artifact—appeared in his hand.
Cornwell's eyes widened. 'A spatial artifact—!'
"You're not escaping!" she roared, lunging at him.
Too late. A blue glow enveloped his form.
And then—he was gone.
A/N:
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#Your gift is the motivation for my creation.
Grace mi hand with thee powerstones.