Aftermath

A single punch!!

A single punch was able to tear a hole through a quarter-inch steel wall of the hover truck. The leader of the goons saw the damage that was done by only a single punch and suddenly, he started sweating profusely as he realized the severity of the situation he was in and started running for his life.

Mako was in such a unique state of rage that he didn't know what was in front of him or what he doing, his only concern being the fact that he needed to destroy all his enemies.

Now only one stood in the way.

The leader couldn't outrun Mako nor was he going to let him run away again. His only option was to fight or be killed, and he choose to fight.

Fire erupted from his body as he directed the flames toward Mako. The leader thought that he would be able to maneuver Mako by directing his movements by controlling the flames. This was his specialty, He was able to move opponents by purposefully providing them a path through the flames, a path he could counter.

*Zoom!!*

Mako didn't care what was in front of him as he ran straight through the flames with no care in the world. The reddish aura was able to disintegrate some of the flames but not all of them, making the black hoodie and trousers burn.

The leader was not expecting such a move of recklessness as before he could even think about what to do next, Mako leaped toward him like a crazed hungry beast with his fist forward and landed a crisp right hook on the leader's face.

Bone-cracking sounds resounded as Mako's fist blasted the leader's face causing massive fractures in the skull and absolutely destroying the facial features.

A single punch was what it took to knock down a strong level 3 ability user to the ground.

Mako stood over the body of the leader breathing heavily while the reddish aura and his deep monster-like voice still remained.

[All targeted enemies have been defeated]

[Deactivating Rage Mode]

[The remaining Rage mode bar will be compensated to the user by the system]

[18 Level 3 Opponents Have Been Defeated]

[+9000 EXP]

[ A Difficult Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]

[+2000 EXP]

[The User is Exhausted]

[….]

Many more messages flashed by Mako's eyes, but Mako paid them no heed as the intensity of the glow in his eyes reduced, and the reddish aura slowly dimmed and disappeared. Mako didn't move as the effects of exhaustion took effect.

Mako thought that the effects would only affect his resource cost as it was stated in the description, but he was mistaken as it was exactly what it meant. A wave of exhaustion started budding from his body as Mako didn't even think he could walk a couple of steps.

Eventually, Mako started to lose consciousness as he collapsed on top of the body of the mutilated leader.

***************

Mako didn't know how much time had passed or what happened, but when he slowly opened his eyes to look around, he noticed he was inside a room. Looking around a bit he noticed his burnt clothes folded beside him on the table while he himself was laying on the couch.

He slowly got up and rays of sunlight hit his face greeting him with warmth. Mako sat upright and held his head, trying to remember the events that had transpired the night before.

*CREAK!*

"Dammit Sophia, I told you to get that fixed!"

"SHHH! He's awake!"

The door leading to the room was slightly opened as two girls were in an argument with each other.

The noise broke Mako out of his train of thought as he could easily spot Anna and Sophia bickering with each other just outside the barely opened door.

*COUGH* *COUGH*

Mako did a fake cough to catch the girls' attention as they very slowly opened the door and nervously entered the room. Anna was first and Sophia glued behind her back.

"Hey, How are you?" Anna asked sweetly as she cautiously approached Mako.

"I'm fine, but I am kinda foggy with my memory, who are you? How did I get here?" Mako asked politely.

"You mean you don't remember anything!" Sophia shouted from behind Anna's back in a quivering voice.

Mako was even more confused as he truly couldn't remember much of last night other than the fact that he was shopping for snacks in a festival market in the Rosewood District.

Anna gave a small sigh as she took a seat opposite to Mako and gave a brief summary of the events that had transpired, but she herself had no clue what happened as she was knocked out by the injection the goons gave her and she explained what she heard from Sophia.

Before the fight began with Mako and the goons, he had made a deal to let Sophia and Anna go. Anna was still unconscious, but Sophia managed to drag Anna away to safety.

Sophia could have just gone straight home, but her curiosity got the better of her as she got some water from the fountain to protect herself and Anna just in case, and started to observe the battle from a safe distance.

At first, she was horrified seeing all these men beating a single person with no mercy, and just as she steeled her resolve to at least try to help, she heard a monstrous scream from the fight as she saw firsthand the terrifying form of Mako in Rage Mode.

She continued to explain to Mako how he finished off all of them at lightning speed, but he himself collapsed soon after. Sophia was beyond terrified of the display Mako had shown, but she could not leave the person who saved her life out there alone. She mustered enough courage to drag Mako away from the fight and with the use of her Water ability, she transported both him and Anna to their apartment.

When Anna came to, she found Sophia in a very terrible state, trembling with great intensity and fear.

After Anna got to know of the situation, she made her way to the second room which the girls used as a living room, to find Mako passed out on the couch still in his torn clothes.

Anna was about the same size as Mako so she got some of her loose trousers and jacket and changed his clothes, fortunately, Mako was wearing undergarments.

Mako had started slowly remembering the events as he remember the rampage he went on while Rage mode is active.

"What happened to the people that I fought?" Mako asked.

The two girls again looked at each other with worry and disbelief, but this time they didn't speak. Anna played a news channel transmission on her Holophone and pretty much let the video do all the talking.

The video had shown the aftermath of the fight and it looked as if a mythical beast had come and ravaged the bodies of the men because there were 19 mutilated bodies scattered around the emerald tree fountain, each and every one of them dead.

It was a horrific scene as the local police weren't able to get any info and couldn't trace the event back to anything. This was most probably the goons' doing, so they could have their way around town with no proof but it backfired on them dearly.

Mako didn't even register the remaining of the broadcast as the image of the 19 mutilated was ingrained in his mind. Mako may be over-confident and reckless at times, but he never had the intention to kill anyone.

It was a lot to take in as he just stared at his own two hands trying to justify his actions in any way, but there was no way out. He got so frustrated at this point that he started leaking his aura subconsciously, making the air around the room heavy as Sophia jumped behind Anna once again thinking that Mako was to go on a rampage once again.

"How could I have been this cruel, How was I this ruthless, Am I a monster?" Mako kept repeating such questions in his head because he could really live with himself, with such a heavy burden on his shoulders. Rage started building up in him once again but this time not towards anyone but himself.

Mako didn't know what to do or what to think, he was lost. He who always viewed life as something sacred and something Holy was the one who took 19 in a single night. How could he move forward, how could he undo what was already done?

Before Mako could lose it any further, he felt a light touch on his shoulder. He looked up slightly to see a hand on his shoulder, but the hand was almost translucent with a slight glow similar to that of a ghost.

"Mako...." A familiar voice resounded in Mako's mind as he looked up to see what he could only describe as paradise.

A translucent and slightly glowing feminine figure was standing beside Mako, with one of her hands on her shoulder. Sophia and Anna watched in silence as they saw Mako reduce his aura and look towards his right, even though there was nothing there.

However, Mako could clearly see an entity standing right beside him, an entity that he adored and one he never wanted to disappoint.

"Grand....M-m-mother.....?" Mako said while trying his best to hold his tears.