"An alliance? Are you insane?" Faeil stared in disbelief as Akira returned with another team behind him.
The first was a tall, bald man with a terrifying presence. Sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, and a single horn jutted from the left side of his forehead—Cabble.
Beside him stood a brown-haired girl wrapped in a thick winter coat, her face hidden beneath a mask. Her appearance alone hinted at ice-based abilities. Her name was Vienna Paleo.
The last was a young man with short dark hair and eyes filled with mischief, smile anonymous—Beige Helns, the same person who had approached Akira earlier.
"You know," Faeil muttered, suddenly pulling Akira closer, "betrayal usually starts with people surrendering too easily."
"Relax." Akira gently pushed Faeil's face away. "I don't sense any malicious intent from them. Besides, splitting the points between two teams would make things easier."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I heard another team's already surpassing us in points… and they're hunting us down." He glanced back toward the others. "And trust me, this guy is no joke.
"Yeah, I sensed a dreadful wind coming our way. But still-"
"AHHHH!"
A loud screech of a girl was heard from afar, an unmistakable scream of an ally.
"Anna!" Faeil immediately rose, conjuring a bow of wind along with several arrows. The allied team followed suit, preparing for battle.
Anna was defeated by the same man who Akira fought earlier before the tournament started. Zalkar, the ruthless man who was bullying a participant.
"Let her go!" Faeil pulled back his bowstring, aiming directly at him. Anna was held by the head like a lifeless doll.
"Hmph. Weak," Zalkar scoffed. "If your teamwork had been better, she wouldn't have become a hostage."
"Let. Her. Go." Faeil's eyes narrowed dangerously, his arrow trembling with compressed wind energy.
Akira then swiftly swooped in to save Anna as Zalkar purposely let her head go and Akira carried her on his arms. She was badly injured, bruised, she was no match for him.
"You sick bastard… You could've killed her!" Faeil glared furiously.
Behind him, Akira quickly began healing Anna's wounds alongside their new allies. Even then, his expression remained tense.
"These injuries…" Akira muttered. "They're close to my healing limit. Thankfully… she can still be saved."
"I would've, if I wanted to," Zalkar scoffed. "But killing her would disqualify me, wouldn't it? The rules are simple—as long as a warrior isn't left to die, it still counts."
He glanced at Anna without concern.
"The healers outside the tournament can probably fix her injuries. Psychological trauma, though?" He shrugged. "I wouldn't count on it."
"Are you insane?!" Akira snapped, his expression hardening. "Just because you're strong doesn't give you the right to make others live in fear of you."
"Strong as I am, I couldn't care less about reputation." Zalkar stepped forward, radiating unmistakable killing intent. "So spare me the lecture about ethics and social codes. I don't give a damn."
"You ready, Faeil?" Akira said.
"Armed and ready." Faeil answered.
"Everyone!" Faeil shouted. "I agree to this alliance, now our main objective is to survive this guy or take him down!"
"Got it!" Their new allies responded.
Akira lunged forward at blinding speed, a scythe forming in his hand as he slashed toward Zalkar.
Zalkar evaded each swing effortlessly. To him, Akira's attacks were far too slow.
"This is the best you can offer?" Zalkar mocked. "I expected more."
"Yeah?" Akira smirked. "Then try this!"
Using the scythe planted against the ground as support, Akira launched himself upward and drove a kick straight into Zalkar's face.
The hit landed cleanly—yet Zalkar didn't even flinch.
With a cold expression, he pressed his thumb against his middle finger and flicked forward.
BOOM!
A massive burst of kinetic force slammed into Akira's stomach, launching him violently across the battlefield.
"What the—?!"
Before Akira could recover, Zalkar had already appeared in front of him. Condensed mana wrapped around his fist as he drove it downward.
The impact exploded against the ground with devastating force.
Zalkar Belmourge, Main Ability: Kinetic Transformer.
An ability that absorbed Kinetic releases or impacts turning it into a viable weapon to increase his strength and energy. Any physical impact directed at him—whether punches, weapons, explosions, or collisions—he converted the same amount of energy of that hit into his own, amplified ten times the original.
This ability allowed him to transfer Kinetic energy to objects or subjects—making them faster and destructive—granted him shock absorption, and creating an energy-made weapons. Though, it had a limit to how much force he could take.
Akira quickly regained his footing and widened the distance between them, "Damn, this guy is nuts. A hit from that would've knocked me out. My body should've been sturdy enough to withstand most attacks but this guy is on another level."
Zalkar pulled his fist off the ground and bent his head to the left, dodging Faeil's arrow.
The first shot missed. Then came a barrage.
Arrows rained from above. Flames surged from the left (Beige). Floods of oil rushed from the right (Vienna), while sharp, scale-like bullets tore through the air from behind (Cabble).
Zalkar merely glanced around him.
Snap.
A violent shockwave erupted outward, devastating the battlefield. Faeil's arrows were blown away, the flames extinguished, the oil scattered, and the combined assault of the warriors shattered instantly.
Akira raised his scythe to eye level, his gaze locked onto Zalkar with growing caution.
"This guy is bad news…" he exhaled slowly. "Not even a combined attack could break through that force."
Even so, Akira stepped forward once more. Faeil landed beside Akira, bruises covering his body while sharp splinters pierced through his left thigh.
"Got a plan?" Faeil asked, breathing heavily.
"Got a few. But one of them involved stalling, I choose that." Akira answered with confidence in his plan.
"Got it," Faeil smiled faintly, immediately understanding what Akira meant. Stalling meant buying enough time for him to fully charge a powerful arrow capable of injuring Zalkar.
Faeil quickly retreated, keeping Anna safely behind him. Along the way, he explained the plan to the newly allied team, asking them to support Akira for as long as possible.
He would then perch on a tree and charged his arrow to its maximum.
Akira stood ready with the team around him, facing against Zalkar.
"Four against one?" Zalkar chuckled. "Ah… so you're trying to stall me. Clever. But tricks like that won't work against an unrelenting force of nature."
A violent surge of energy exploded from his body, radiating an ominous aura across the battlefield.
Vienna's face paled. Cabble's expression hardened. Only Beige maintained his carefree smile.
"Now you understand why we teamed up?" Beige slipped his hands into his pockets as he stood beside Akira.
Akira nodded slightly before speaking. "I don't know what your motives are, but listen carefully. You've already shown me your abilities, so now we fight together."
He pointed toward the distance. "Beige, support from range with Vienna. Cabble and I will handle the front line."
"Aye aye, captain," Beige replied lightly, waving as he casually moved into position.
Cabble, Main Ability: Hard Scales.
An ability that gave Cabble skin resembling hardened dragon scales. It greatly increased his durability while allowing him to sharpen and launch the scales like bullets. A direct hit from them felt like being pierced by blades.
However, his scales had a production limit. Excessive use would strain his body and gradually deteriorate his physical condition.
Vienna Paleo, Main Ability: Oil Rug
Vienna's body continuously produced oil that she could manipulate at will. She was capable of generating multiple oil types, including petroleum, though the ability functioned best when her body remained hydrated and sweaty.
Her oil greatly enhanced mobility and worked exceptionally well alongside fire-based abilities.
Beige Helns, Main Ability: Fire Breather.
Unlike most flame users, Beige generated fire through his lungs rather than his body. He could exhale powerful streams of flame and intensify their heat simply through controlled breathing.
However, overusing the ability severely strained his respiratory system and could leave him with violent coughing fits.
Let's go, team!" Akira charged forward, launching the first attack.
Zalkar hadn't considered Akira much of a threat, but his sudden aggression caught him slightly off guard.
Akira coated the blade of his scythe with blood before swinging it in a wide horizontal slash. Zalkar stepped back to evade it—only for Cabble to descend from above. Sharp scales extended from Cabble's arms like jagged swords reaching past his elbows as he plunged downward to strike.
Zalkar spun on instinct and kicked Cabble away midair. In the same motion, he drove a knee into Akira's chin before slamming his head into the ground.
A crushing pressure forced down on Akira's skull.
Zalkar's hand tightened, threatening to cave his head in completely, but Akira quickly wrapped his legs around Zalkar's arm, locking him in place.
That opening was enough.
From the distance, Beige and Vienna unleashed their combined attack. Streams of burning oil exploded toward Zalkar, forcing him to retreat backward to avoid the blast.
The moment Akira was freed, he and Cabble resumed their relentless assault without hesitation.
Yet while Zalkar effortlessly dodged their attacks, one thought lingered in his mind.
He couldn't understand where this sudden bravery was coming from. Their mission was only to stall him, yet to Zalkar's surprise, they were relentlessly persistent.
Akira slammed his scythe into the ground with enough force to shatter the earth and create a massive crater, forcing Zalkar to leap away from the impact.
For a brief moment, Zalkar was completely defenseless in midair.
Akira immediately stepped onto the scythe's handle and launched himself upward, driving a punch straight into Zalkar's stomach.
The instant the hit landed, red sparks ignited across Zalkar's body. The impact was converted into kinetic energy.
His fist glowed a bright crimson.
Then he released it.
Without even directly striking Akira, Zalkar punched the air beside him, unleashing a devastating shockwave that tore through the battlefield with violent wind pressure.
The blow alone sent Akira skidding backward, blood spilling from his mouth along with a broken tooth. Yet despite the pain, his eyes remained sharp—calculating.
"Seventeen seconds…" Akira muttered.
Zalkar's continuous dodging concluded with a simple statement linked to his Kinetic energy storage and absorption. Zalkar could only absorb any impact from external sources after a seventeen-second cooldown before his body could properly process another impact.
Not only that—he was also capable of storing kinetic energy through his own movement, turning his own body into a living fuel tank of accumulated force.
It finally made sense.
If Zalkar could absorb every attack without consequence, there would've been no reason for him to dodge so often.
By forcing him to move continuously and carefully counting the intervals between each absorption, Akira had finally uncovered the weakness behind his terrifying ability.
"You're trying to study me? Is that what this is?" Zalkar glared coldly.
"We wouldn't have the best shot at winning if we couldn't know our enemies first, would we?" Akira smirked, wiping blood off his face.
"Every movement you make accumulates kinetic energy—slowly, but effectively if you move frequently. That's why something felt off. If you can amplify absorbed force tenfold just by counterattacking, then why bother dodging at all?" Akira chuckled. "The answer was simple."
Zalkar was taken by surprise by how quick Akira caught on, his analysis was spot on in his own ridiculous way of observing.
That brief lapse in focus was all Akira needed.
He immediately locked onto Zalkar's body, restraining his movements. At the same time, Vienna and Beige acted together, surrounding the area with a blazing ring of oil and fire to block any escape route.
Cabble slammed his sharpened scales into the ground, creating a deadly field of spikes around them.
"Faeil, now!" Akira shouted.
High above, Faeil released the arrow he had been charging.
The projectile shot forward at breakneck speed, distorting the air around it while the sheer pressure shattered nearby trees in its path.
Zalkar was struck head-on.
The impact exploded across the battlefield.
Even Zalkar's monstrous shock absorption couldn't fully withstand it. A slight bruise spread across his chest—the first real injury he had taken.
But Akira's expression quickly shifted to shock.
After all that power… the damage was still far too small.
Swoosh!
With a mere wave of his hand, Zalkar unleashed a violent hurricane. The overwhelming force tore Akira away from him, scattering the spike traps and extinguishing the ring of flames with ease.
"Tch… even that wasn't enough to make you bleed?" Akira gritted his teeth, frustration creeping into his voice as their carefully prepared plan failed.
"I'm impressed," Zalkar said with a faint smile.
"You have my attention now, Akira." His crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "During our next hunt… you'll be my primary target."
With that, Zalkar turned and walked away, leaving behind a battlefield in ruins and a silence heavy with tension.
"Huh!? Come back here, you!" Akira was too late, Zalkar had already left.
Faeil grabbed his shoulder before he could chase after the man. His usually carefree tone had turned unusually serious.
"Akira, leave him."
"It's better not to provoke a monster like that any further." He glanced toward the distant destruction Zalkar had left behind. "Besides… there are other ways to win this tournament. Chasing him right now would just waste our strength."
Akira remained silent for a moment. His fists tightened, nails digging into his palms before he finally exhaled through clenched teeth.
"…Right."
The battlefield slowly settled into silence after the storm-like clash. Burned trees crackled with fading embers while deep craters scarred the ground around them. The scent of smoke, oil, and blood lingered heavily in the air.
Everyone took the chance to rest.
Anna remained unconscious near the roots of a broken tree while Akira continued healing the remaining injuries across her bruised body. Her breathing had stabilized, but the fear carved into her expression hadn't disappeared even in sleep.
"Wouldja look at that…" Faeil muttered with a faint, exhausted grin as he collapsed onto a rock. "One beating and our five hundred thousand points stripped away just like that."
Cabble snorted, leaning his massive frame against a shattered boulder. "Who gives a damn about points? We survived." His sharp scales slowly retracted back into his skin with a rough scraping sound. "That alone means we didn't lose."
Vienna hugged her thick coat tighter around herself. Her pale fingers trembled slightly despite the warmth of the flames nearby.
"He's strong…" she whispered. "No… not strong. Terrifying."
Her eyes drifted toward the crater where Zalkar had stood moments ago. Even after he left, the memory of his overwhelming force still suffocated her chest.
"Don't forget," Akira finally spoke, rising to his feet. His voice was calm, but frustration simmered beneath it. "We still have two hundred thousand points left. Combined with your team's points, that gives us four hundred thousand total. The victory is still there but not by a long shot."
He tapped the end of his scythe against the cracked ground repeatedly, his mind still replaying the fight.
" Now we know something important," Akira said, staring into the flickering campfire. "Even when his shock absorption isn't active, his body still passively reduces incoming damage."
The flames reflected against his narrowed eyes as he replayed the fight repeatedly in his head. Every strike, every movement, every failed attempt to break through Zalkar's defenses.
"Acute observation," Faeil replied with a faint smile. He rested his bow across his lap before continuing, "To put it simply… the guy naturally has damage reduction."
Cabble clicked his tongue while sharpening one of his scales with another. "Tch. Sounds unfair when you say it like that."
"It gets worse," Faeil continued. "When he actively uses shock absorption, he probably nullifies around eighty percent of the incoming force. But even when the ability is dormant, his body still absorbs roughly forty percent passively."
Faeil glanced toward the shattered forest where the battle had taken place.
"That's why my fully charged arrow only managed to bruise him."
A heavy silence settled over the group. Even Beige's usual relaxed grin faded slightly.
"Then we just hit harder, right?" Beige eventually said, leaning back against a fallen log with his hands behind his head. "Keep overwhelming him until something breaks."
"Not necessarily." Faeil shook his head. "Raw force alone won't be enough."
He picked up a thin branch from the ground and pressed it into the soil.
"Think of water. When something strikes a wide surface, the impact spreads out and gets absorbed." He slowly pushed the branch deeper into the dirt. "But the narrower and sharper the force is…"
The branch pierced straight through.
"…the deeper it penetrates."
Akira's eyes widened slightly as realization struck him.
"So instead of overpowering his defenses…"
"We pierce through them," Vienna quietly finished, her trembling voice barely above a whisper.
The campfire crackled softly between them while everyone fell into thought.