Out of time

He gripped the cold spike firmly, pulled his arm backwards, and swung it out with all his might.

SWEEEEVVV

The spike sliced through the air with deadly precision. Before Carlos could react, it plunged deep into his stomach, driving him several steps backward from the sheer force of the impact.

Carlos groaned in agony, gripping the spike with both hands as he struggled to pull it out. But before he could succeed, Silas was upon him, pinning him against the wall with a cold, merciless gaze.

[Soul Points -5]

A red notification screen appeared right in front of Silas.

"Shut up, I know!" Silas growled as he dismissed the screen and shifted his gaze back to Carlos, who remained pinned to the wall.

As Silas stared at him, he could see the glowing blue aura of Carlos's soul emanating from his body. Silas had no idea how to drain a human's soul before, but the sight of Carlos filled him with a raw, animalistic urge. He instinctively knew what to do. He needed to grab Carlos's head.

Sharp black claws began to grow from his fingers as he glared at Carlos, saliva trickling down his chin like a wild beast. His cold eyes locked onto his prey, and once the claws were long enough, Silas seized Carlos's head, sinking them deep into his skull.

A refreshing surge of energy coursed through Silas's body the moment his claws made contact, and Carlos immediately froze, paralyzed by the grip of death.

Before Silas could fully begin the process, someone suddenly charged at him and knocked him to the ground.

"Get off him, you bloody bastard!" Sammy shouted as he forcefully shoved Silas aside.

Silas rolled across the floor before regaining his balance and getting back on his feet. A deep frown crossed his face as he caught sight of Sammy and Caleb standing a few meters away.

'Damn it... I was so close to restoring my points. Now I've only got an hour before I lose control,' Silas thought, cold sweat trickling down his face. His gaze narrowed, focusing intently on the two boys.

"Silas Griswold, you made a big mistake earlier," Caleb declared, his voice dripping with venom. "You shouldn't have humiliated me and my comrades in front of everyone! I know you used Energy Pills—that's the only reason you were able to defeat us. But this time, I'm ready to fight fire with fire."

Caleb reached into his pocket and pulled out two glowing red pills.

Silas's eyes widened slightly. 'Energy Pills?' he thought.

Caleb tossed one of the pills to Sammy, keeping the other for himself.

"You're not leaving here tonight, Silas Griswold!" Caleb spat, opening his mouth and swallowing the pill.

"Aaarrgghh!" Both Caleb and Sammy screamed in unison as their bodies convulsed violently. Silas covered his ears from the deafening noise. The boys dropped to their knees, shaking uncontrollably for several minutes before slowly rising to their feet.

Their expressions were cold and menacing, their eyes now glowing bright red. Their muscles had swelled, and they stood taller than before, their transformation complete.

Silas, however, remained unfazed. Caleb and Sammy were both Grade 3s, and with the help of the pills, they now possessed the strength of Grade 4 mutants. Silas's current stats far exceeded that of a Grade 4, so he wasn't concerned about them. His only real worry was restoring his points to avoid running wild.

Caleb and Sammy stood still for a moment before dashing forward at blinding speed. In an instant, they closed the distance and launched their fists toward Silas's face.

**Sweeesshhh.**

The first punch traveled through the air with tremendous force, but just inches away from impact, Silas sidestepped, dodging the blow completely.

Caleb swiftly retracted his outstretched fist and swung again, but Silas ducked low, causing the punch to miss once more. Without hesitation, Silas countered with a strike of his own.

**BAM!**

His fist connected with Caleb's right side, forcing him to stumble backward. Sensing danger from behind, Silas whirled around just in time to see a green energy beam heading toward him. At the last second, he swerved, dodging the beam by a hair's breadth.

Sammy, undeterred, conjured another energy beam—this one twice the size of the first—and hurled it toward Silas without warning.

Silas charged toward the incoming beam. As it neared, he leaned back until his body was parallel to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack. Rising smoothly from the maneuver, he continued his advance. Sammy fired two more beams, but Silas sidestepped them effortlessly.

Closing the distance, Silas reached Sammy and delivered a devastating uppercut.

BAM!

The punch snapped Sammy's head back, forcing him to stare at the evening sky. Before Sammy could recover, Silas followed up with a second blow that lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing into a nearby wall.

Sammy slumped to the floor but wasn't out of the fight yet. Silas turned his attention back to Caleb, prepared to finish the job.

But just as he spun around, a blade drove straight into his chest.

Blood splattered everywhere as the blade tore into his body. Though the pain was excruciating, Silas couldn't scream. He looked down at the blade, then up at Caleb, who was holding the hilt.

"What... have... you... done...?" Silas muttered weakly.

"Sorry it had to end like this, Griswold. But you should've known better than to disrespect me!" Caleb sneered, a victorious grin spreading across his face as he let go of the blade. Silas collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.

"No... you... don't understand..." Silas stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Understand what?" Caleb spat, his expression a mix of confusion and disdain.

[Host has undergone a critical injury]

[Passive skill: Super Fast Healing will now activate]

[Super Fast Healing cannot fully heal the injury: Reason: Soul points critically low]

[Soul Points -5]

[Your soul points are empty]

[Host will now run wild]

""

A/n: Vote with your tickets and power stones for a mass release of three chapters.