Chapter 37: The Realm User.
*Drip* *Drip*
The sound of water dripping could be heard through the cold bars. Grey's shirtless figure was covered in sweat as he performed sit ups repeatedly.
[100/100 Sit-ups Completed]
He stopped immediately after receiving the notification. As he looked around the room, he wondered how he would complete the 10 Kilometer run.
Getting up, he flopped onto the cold, hard bed before clicking his tongue. The longer he stared at the ceiling, the deeper he felt himself sinking.
.
.
.
"Telekenesis?" Gray questioned.
Aurora was unable to fight, he grabbed hold of her and levitated in the air before quickly turning his head from left to right in pursuit of the culprit.
His eyes grew wide as he pinpointed the girl he had seen earlier in the shop. Her expression was no longer blank as she had narrowed her eyes beneath her purple hair and pink glasses.
The guns which had also floated up, were all aimed and locked onto the two. Gray saw what was happening and tried to use the same move he had used earlier. Pause level 2, but was only left with surprise and flailing legs as it failed.
During the scan of the screen, his eyes widened as he stared at it intently.
[Skills]
Pause [Level 1 --> 2]
Effect: [Level 1 -> 2]: Pieces of the user's body or objects can be momentarily paused. Limitations are based on the size of the object or body part. Limitations minimised as skill has levelled up.
Users' stamina is depleted every second.
Time limit: five - > ten seconds
Number of active pauses at once: 1 --> 3
-Pause [Level 2]: Pause Step
Effect: Instantaneous movement, User can move instantaneously to anywhere user is looking. Limitations include the user only being able to move where physically possible.
Stamina heavily consumed with each use.
Range: 10 meters.
Cooldown: 2 Seconds.
User's feet must be touching a solid platform..
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Gray's eyes flashed through the screen in a matter of seconds. He understood why it wasn't working after reading those lines. "Feet must be touching a solid platform.".
'She's in the range... If that's the case...' He thought to himself. 'Then I should be able to use it if I create a platform using pause.'
"Stop fighting!" She commanded.
Gray sarcastically asked, "Will our lives be spared?"
"I have no interest in such a thing-"
The girl had been interrupted by Axel, who yelled out from beside her, with bloodshot eyes.
"YOU'RE A FUCKING DEAD MAN GRAY AND SO IS HERS!!"
There was such anger in his shout and projection of his voice, that even the crowd was rendered speechless.
[Pause Step: Level 2]
"That's a shame." Said Gray with a nonchalant look as he vanished.
The next thing Axel knew, a knife was thrust into his right leg as Gray appeared before him. When everyone in the room witnessed this, their eyes widened in shock.
No movement was seen, no sound was heard, it was as if he had simply teleported.
"ARGH!!!"
Axel struck Gray as he wailed in pain, swinging his fist in his face. Due to his skill, he managed to strike Gray on the side of his face, causing him to slam into the esper girl.
The attack broke her concentration and grasp over all the weapons, Gray observed this as he watched them all slowly drop to the ground, one by one. This included Aurora as she plummeted head-first towards the ground.
[Pause Step]
Right before her there was contact however, Gray appeared from beside her, catching her just in the nick of time.
'Now to teleport away-'
In the midst of Gray's thoughts, he was suddenly interrupted by someone placing their hand over his shoulder from behind.
"Whoa, that's quite the number you've done here." Said the voice.
The chills rushed down Gray's spine; he hadn't even sensed that the person was there. It was as if his instincts had been screaming out danger, as he felt as though a scythe had been put around his neck. At that moment, he didn't even hesitate to pause step away with Aurora, instantly vanishing out of there.
"Captain, you weren't supposed to scare him off like that. You're supposed to catch him."
A new group of three was approaching, and the young man at the head of the group had blue eyes and hair. There was a dark uniform on him, which was different from that of the military, and he was carrying a katana around his waist. Having an amused look on his face, he could not help but giggle.
"Well, it's fine. Even if he's gone on the run, he's not getting away from our captain." Spoke the yellow haired girl.
Her tanned skin, blue eyes, and short yellow hair gave off a fierce, unnatractive aura, absorbing most of her femininity, and it wouldn't have been a surprise to mistake her for a handsome boy. She too wore the uniform, along with iron gauntlets.
"Stop taking this like some sort of a joke. I know we just got back but there's a threat on the loose." Said the last guy as he adjusted his glasses.
He had short smooth black hair and black eyes, was the tallest of the three, and carried two pistols.
"Alright guys, I'll be back." Said their leader who had let Gray escape with a smile.
He too disappeared.
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Whilst panting heavily as he carried Aurora on his back, Gray desperately ran across the top of the buildings heading towards the other dome where there were all the rooms.
Despite using [Pause Step] just three more times since then, he was already out of breath.
'Just how much stamina does this skilll consume?!'
"Sorry... Gray...." Aurora apolgoised, her head turned down and chin trembling whilst she rested on his back.
She took out five guys, and there's no telling how many of them were ability users. "Why are you apologising? This is all my fault... If only that jackass wasn't here..." Gray muttered.
Gray stopped after leaping across one of the buildings when he spotted a figure in front of him. It was the same vibe he had gotten before. A grim reaper.
Gray's instincts told him that this person was bad news. As he smiled shakily, sweat rolled down his face. It was as if he were staring at the first floor dungeon boss again.
The young man ahead of him had short, golden blonde hair and bright green irises. He wore the black uniform, and just like the rest of them, he seemed to be around Gray's age. A friendly smile could be seen on his face as he asked Gray. "Do you surrender?"
"What happens if I refuse? Gray asked.
[Realm]
Gray felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise at that moment as a 360 spherical field suddenly erupted from the man in front of him. The field covered a 20 meter radius around him.
Gray did not know what sort of properties the field might hold, so he quickly pause stepped 10 meters away, but he was still within the vicinity of the field.
The young man somehow moved instantly to where Gray had pause stepped, before swinging the side of his palm at the back of Gray's neck to knock him out. His eyes widened however, as Gray suddenly lost consciousness just before he was hit by him.
*Whap!*
Gray was hit directly on the side of the neck by a strong force just as he collapsed, further knocking him out.
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The more Gray recalled it, the more pissed off it made him.
'I got knocked out like in the movies... Fuck.'
"What do you want?" Gray asked as a figure approached the cell.
Gray didn't even need to look to know who it was. It was the brown-haired captain from before. Her visit was her second within five hours of the first time he had been brought here, but this time she brought two visitors along with her.
"We've come to make an offer."