Limiters

"…!" The corrupted zombies noticed Lex charging at them. A miasma had spread.

Fog blurred his vision.

Lex knew he couldn't use his powers in this situation. It could cause corruption.

He needed to protect himself.

His left hand reached towards the back of his right hand. Showing a plus tattoo.

Each of the four direction a different colour. The middle had a white tiny ball.

Kinda like a miniature marble.

This was his 'Limiter', which was the most common technology all citizens had.

However, only highly active students like him, who had trained with it, could use this Limiter to its highest potential. He did exactly what the school trained him.

Pressing on it in a particular way while constricting his entire existence. The life force within his body and potential for magical energy was cut from the outside.

A locking sound was heard.

It made him much more vulnerable despite giving him immunity to corrosion.

After all, why poison him when the corrupted could just bite him to death?

The closest zombie thought that.

The malevolent Dark Muse eyed the prey running closer to it, then chomped down hard. Strong enough to sink its blackened teeth into the soft human's clean neck.

Blood started to spray.

The demon had chomped down. Biting the flesh bag that it had charged at.

"…?" A confused look appeared on the Dark Muse's face. It let go of the flesh.

In front of it was not the human it pounced at, but just another zombie.

If this happened once, then it'd be a coincidence. However, each time a Dark Muse attacked him, they would find that they'd attacked each other instead.

'Looks like this is my output limit.' Lex thought as part of his Limiter glowed.

A red colour surrounded him.

This illusionary trick was passed down by his father and was highly efficient to use.

They were called 'Illusionary Steps'.

Unlike more established Step Methods like the 'Earth Step' or 'Lightning Step', a small movement technique like his couldn't make his body move faster.

It was closer to a sleight of hand.

By using extremely fine-tuned 'emotional energy', Aura, he could alter perception.

Lex demonstrated this when another group of zombies locked eyes on him.

They crowded him like the horde they were. Trying to cut off his escape paths.

However, this only gave advantages.

'Illusionary Step' wasn't able to bring out its full potential without more people.

Lex weaved his body through the horde by subtly altering his attacker's vision.

Misdirecting their feelings to kill him.

His body seemed to merge into crowds from an onlooker's point of view.

A domain was created around him that blurred him the more stepped into it.

By the time they caught onto him, he was already far enough to get a head start.

Lex took the usual path toward without any detours. Hoping to get there fast.

'I have to be quick!' His feet moved faster and faster, but there was no boost.

His speed was still that of a normal person. Not being boosted by his Step Method. It only went to show why the grade was so low despite its good effect.

He passed by a cafe, but then stopped in his tracks straight after. He gasped.

Trying to catch his breath.

After walking backwards a little, he was able to see his father and some others.

A plump woman and formal suited waiter.

Next to him was a severed arm that wasn't bleeding. The part that should have bled was charred black. His heart started to stop in place at that moment.

'No way…' Lex didn't want to believe it. He wanted to think that this was a lie.

A misunderstanding on his part.

The zombies had yet to crowd around this place, but one stay leapt inside.

Attacking his father within the little cafe.

Before he could react, his father threw water behind him. Hitting the rotting figure's flesh. The moment the water made contact, white flames had arisen.

Exorcising the corruption within.

His father also locked his own Limiter.

The exorcism flames had faded, and the zombie seemed mostly unhurt by it.

'No way…!' Lex realised that corrupted had nothing to do with demonic forces.

Even though it was rumoured they did.

He started to believe what he'd heard from his teachers about this 'Death Force'. A power that Celest Vegabond seemed to incorporate a good while ago.

Even giving those at the peak, the 'Extractor Rank', a piece of their power.

Equipping them with Nethersteel.

It looked like the purifying power of holy water did nothing against the corrupted.

Completely useless.

However, his father didn't constantly ask him to gain information on Limiters simply to be beaten by a zombie. He grasped the Limiter behind his right hand tightly.

Showing a wholly different technique compared to what Lex had used earlier.

He didn't change size, but Alex felt an immense pressure from his father.

His father's muscles started to bolden...

Crossed veins pumping in acceleration.

"Mr Lindblum…?" The plump woman with dreadlocks called to him out in worry.

The zombie tried biting him. It's metallic alloy teeth beyond that of a human.

No longer having regular bones.

"DAD!" Lex screamed in worry.

A jaw of metallic teeth chomped on his father's shoulder. It hit down hard.

"…?!" A confused grunt came out of the zombie's mouth as it immediately pulled back. When the onlookers saw the teeth of the Dark Muse, they saw it falling out.

A full row was misaligned…

Lex looked back at his father. He barely saw a bruise in the area near the neck.

Showing that despite using tricks, the strength of a human was below a Dark Muse. Lex realised that his father had used 'hardening' at the right moment.

A basic technique of using a Limiter.

However, misaligned teeth didn't mean the zombie would simply back down.

He chose to interrupt this.

Charging towards the Dark Muse to save his family. He had to keep his dad safe…!

"!!!" The zombie was quickly alerted and rushed to chomp down on his body.

From the corner of his eye, Lex saw his father naturally moving to assist him.

Placing himself behind the zombie.

'Good…' Lex felt at ease.

He took on a stance taught to him by his father. Both of them raised their arms.

It looked similar to Muay Thai. There was also a little bit of boxing in the stance.

The humanoid creature started briefly.

Confusion from its broken teeth had subsided very quickly, and it immediately charged again. Choosing a more weaker prey. Like the physically smaller Lex.

A mouth gaped open to bite down again.

This time with more ferocity.

'EAT THIS!' The zombie's ferociousness couldn't match someone with intention.

When a good person fell into anger.

A skull cracking uppercut elbow was made by hardening the point of impact.

Then adapting to let the stress of the rebound. Running straight through him.

Rippling through his body.

The ferocious Dark Muse staggered back weakly, only to be struck from behind.

His father used his elbow too.

"…!" A furious look appeared on the Dark Muse's ugly face, but it was jumped.

Both of them double timed the zombie.

Seriously attacking with near deadly force from both sides. Incapacitating.

It didn't take long before they knocked the zombie out, then threw him away.

Both father and son didn't want to take a life. Even if they had all become tainted.

"We will go home now. I'm sorry… I got here too late." His father held that severed arm and cradled it. Looking heartbroken. Unable to speak clearly.

It was a side of his father that Lex had never seen before. His smile was gone.

And would likely never return.

They were abandoned in this cruel world without her, but none of them shed tears.

Knowing better than that.

"I have to bury her… Whatever's left. It's only right to do." His father spoke to him.

"I'll go with you." Lex barely held it in.

His face was on the verge of betraying his feelings. Tears forming in his eyes.

"No. Get them to safety." His father shook his head. The zombies were coming.

The tricks used to keep the Dark Muses away from the cafe were now used up.

Mrs and Mr Dune would fall in danger.

"But I-"

"Remember what you are!" His father scolded him. Making him suck it in.

They couldn't leave these people.

"How are you planning to get home without me?" Lex felt his heart breaking.

Latching onto any reason for him to stay.

However, his father didn't look back while holding the severed arm like his lover.

Leaving behind the words: "Do you think the one who taught you is weak now?"

It was the nail in the coffin.

In their sealed states, his father was stronger than him. More ideal for this.

However, he didn't argue nonsense.

Knowing the man wanted some time alone with his wife. Doing it out of duty.

And a love the current Lex wouldn't be able to understand. He left them alone.

Lex looked at the couple.

He sighed: "I'll bring you somewhere safe. Stay close to me from now on."

The both of them nodded.

The plump woman looked at him with mixed emotions. He chose to ignore it.

Knowing the woman was his mum's friend from before they moved far from before.

"Don't stray too far." A circle was drawn using his emotional magical energy.

A derivative of life force with clear limits.

Maybe that's why the Limiter could allow easy access as long as you trained hard.

When three people were in the range of his Illusionary Steps, the conditions and only requirement for use had gotten fulfilled. Their figures started to blur.

Becoming hard to keep focus.

The couple within his range didn't notice anything, but the Dark Muses looked.

Unable to tell if the blurs were edible.

He was heading straight back to the school building. Holding his despair in.

That was until he heard a loud scream:

"HELP!" The feminine sound of a girl had caught the couple's attention real fast.

They looked at Lex when he turned.

All of them initially silent.

Even though he was in the foulest moods right now, Lex wanted to go save them.

However, he couldn't endanger them.

"Don't hold back for us. Let's save those people." The plump woman protected her frightened husband. Her confidence reminded the youth of their past.

'You are still the same…' Lex found that she hadn't changed despite the times.

It calmed him down enough to try and not think about what was weighing on him.

Thinking only of the here and now.

"Thank you…" He looked between the couple's eyes before heading there.

Finding two familiar faces.

'Huh?' Lex raised an eyebrow.

This place was far from the school, so why were there two girls stranded here?

It didn't make any sense.

They were classmates of his he'd recognised. The blonde was the one who apparently was a wealthy heiress one time. Her story was talked of in rumours.

Bella was her name.

Her heterochromia with red and blue eyes were clear indicators of her identity.

Moreover, she was using two swords to slay the Dark Muses quite ruthlessly.

Showing a driven personality.

As for the other girl with brown a ponytail and blue eyes, she was similar to him.

The highest scorer in practical and physical fitness rather than in theories.

Similar but the exact opposite in how she was blessed with the greatest talents.

However, with their Limiters active, they were both brought down to his level.

Unable to use their strengths.

Bella was making due with her sword techniques, and Tia used a sort of Kata.

He wasn't familiar in the form, but was sure it was a weapon art adapted to fist.

There were a lot of instinctive movements in her fighting style. It was real messy…

Now there was a problem…

The two of them were surrounded by Dark Muses, and were unable to leave.

The more they fought, the greater a commotion was happening like an alarm.

Time was not helping.

If they stayed too long, then even stronger zombies will attack them later.

Lex had to find a way to get them to his circle without too many enemies inside.

After all, there was a limit to protecting people if the zombies entered his 'Zone'.

He couldn't charge in. He couldn't leave the Dune couple behind to go forward.

What could he do?

Lex's mind only started to think of how to protect the people in front of his eyes.

He closed his eyes and pressed on his Limiter. Bringing forth his third power.

A strength any master of using their personal Limiter could replicate easily.

This was the third power of Limiters.

The power of the heart, 'Aura', was what he used to initiate Illusionary Step first.

The second introduced by his father was called 'Ki'. Able to harden the body.

It stiffened the body, but was still fine.

The strength those who practiced martial arts was heightened by using this Ki.

Now was the third and unreadable power that wasn't so easy to find out about.

It was known as 'Psion'.

Lex's concentration was brought beyond the extreme. Knowing what he wanted.

Thus, seeing the way forward.

Now all he had to do was act on it. The temporary stillness of time vanished.

Thus, he carried out his plan in full.

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[Tia Vulcan and Bella Smith Gallery]