Chapter XXVII: First Strike (Pt.2)

Viraa, is there any way Tymon can win? I asked her desperately.

Against Trevor? Possibly, she responded. Remember the Scan cintracy I mentioned before? Another ability it has is to give the user a survival probability based on five factors. The first four are species, power, abilities, and age. Each has a percentage that increases or decreases one's survival rate based on superiority: 33, 32, 24, and 6 percent, respectively. The final is one's emotional drive – their conviction, contributing 5 percent. It's not much, but I've seen it push others to succeed in battle many times. Using this, I'd say Tymon's chances of succeeding against a High God in a one-on-one is fair. But against multiple, or if he fights Verin or Avarice...he'll die.

Then, I have to help him. I said as I frantically surveyed the room for anything useful.

I noticed the floor beneath them – the part with the red path – had a line through the middle and was part of a bigger box. It was a hatch! From the looks of it, it opened outward. If she could get it opened, they'd have an easier escape path to retreat.

I searched the room for a button or switch that would open it.

There has to be something here...Ah!

My eyes locked onto a red lever on the wall. That had to be it.

I sprinted towards it. As I reached out for the lever, the vision of my hands being sliced off flashed across my mind. I reflexively retracted my hands just as a dark arc came down where my hand just were.

I was breathing heavily, eyes wide, and adrenaline pumping as I held my hands close to my chest and stared at Junichiro, who was now before me.

I quickly glanced around at the others.

Avarice sat forward on his throne, interested in what had just happened.

Looking forward at Junichiro, I could see he was visibly irritated that I'd dodged his strike, but he refrained from striking again.

"You won't dodge another one," he said sternly. "Don't move again."

His eyes reflected his merciless nature, waiting for me to disobey again.

"Stand down," Avarice ordered Junichiro. "Wren."

"Yes?" Wren answered.

"I want you to test the human. Show me what she's capable of." He instructed her.

Wren started towards me.

"And Wren. Use killing intent," he added.

"It'll be my pleasure," she stated.

Tymon suddenly appeared in front of me.

"You're not touching her," he said as he stood firm with dark energy emitting from him.

This didn't slow Wren down in the least. With a swipe of her hand, a strong gust of wind threw Tymon to the other side of the room.

Wren pointed at Tymon as she continued toward me.

"Keep him out of my way," she told Junichiro and Trevor.

When she looked back at me, I saw a glint of sadistic enjoyment in her eyes, sending a shiver down my spine. I suddenly wanted Junichiro back. He'd simply kill me if he had to. She'd take her time, making me wish I'd simply been killed.

Somewhere to my right, Tymon had begun fighting Junichiro and Trevor. If what Viraa said was true, he wouldn't survive fighting both of them. This worried me a lot, but I didn't dare take my eyes off Wren as she came within 20 feet of me.

I was focused as I tried to think of a way out of the situation.

What was that earlier? Wind? Is that her ability? That's her cintracy?

Without a word or warning, I was blasted with a constant stream of wind strong enough to send me backward, even with the PRP activated.

"Tch. Annoying crystal," Wren commented. "Then let's increase the intensity a bit."

I protected my face with my bruised arms and covered my entire body with my spirit energy as the wind stream's force increased. I could feel most of Wren's power be repelled by the field around me, but the weaker portions that made their way in were still strong enough to break through my spirit-enhanced armor and cut me.

Standing there as the wind hit me was like being hit with a fire hose whose water was made of thousands of tiny needles. If not for the PRP, my body would have resembled Swiss cheese.

After a short while, the wind stream ceased, as Wren stated. "Okay, let's try something different."

I watched as Wren's spirit energy flared around her. It was light green and wispy, like air. She then began to gather an insane amount of energy between her hands. It was so intense that the point between her hands created an outward gust of wind that caused my hair and clothes to whip backward as I was slowly pushed back.

My body suddenly became even more alert as it was instinctively filled with energy. I felt my eyes involuntarily flash and saw a greenish-purple color before seeing myself from a third-person point of view. I watched myself be cut in half by a blast of wind that was too fast to see.

After that, my vision returned to normal, and I saw Wren still focusing energy between her hands.

I automatically leaped as high as possible just as Wren fired an arc of condensed wind where I stood. The arc of wind created a path of destruction as it carved through everything, even metal, then eventually exited the building.

When I landed, I winced as the jolt sent a wave of pain through my arms, sending stars to my eyes and causing my knees to buckle.

I tried to stand slowly but realized I couldn't muster any energy to move. Whatever happened to me sapped all of my energy.

"That's twice you've dodged one of us," Wren said in a vexing and hostile tone as she prepared another arc of wind. "You need to learn your place."

This was bad. I knew I needed to move, but my body wasn't listening. Tymon was preoccupied, Za'Fia wasn't in any state to help, Trik was MIA, and whatever happened to me probably wouldn't happen again. I had no way of saving myself.

Was this how I'd die? Beaten. Alone. And pointlessly? That's not how I imagined my death. I'd always wanted to die standing for something important or saving those important to me, not on the whim of some test tube product with a god complex.

I looked at Wren, confidence, power, and ruthlessness oozing out of her.

No. If I was going to die by someone like that, I refused to give her the satisfaction of breaking my spirit.

I gritted my teeth in anger as I accepted what was about to happen.

Wren didn't hesitate as she released her attack, sending a dense, light green arc of wind hurtling toward me.