OUTMATCHED

(A/N: Warning- Carnage Ahead. Reader discretion is advised).

*

'How in the hell were they able to find me?'

That was my first question.

'What the heck is this gas?'

Was my second question.

I stood in the corridor, facing the agents while trying the analyse the situation. The SUA before me was extremely domineering. I couldn't believe they sent such a heavy duty force to capture me, and in such a short time too.

Did they expect that I would try to leave the organisation after Linda's death? Maybe.

There must be a second tracker I'm unaware of.

Frankly, it was pretty stupid of me to think I could shirk them off so easily. I was in a frenzy I guess. I was desperate. I recalled one vague detail of a past mission and I was already creating hypothesises that are probably wrong. Perhaps I deserved this. It just goes to show how much I'm devolving back to who I was before.

The agent in front of me started to sparkle with electricity. Arcs ran along his body, giving him the image of a god of lightning. The blue hue lit up the entire room with such an intensity that even the light of day peaking through the windows from outside was nothing in comparison.

Gifted were unique individuals.

The Gifted are individuals who are born with an energy that is called Ephemeral Gift. Its an energy that allows for longevity, quick recovery and evolution. For that it is was called gift. Its effects are not limited to the gifted, but can be used on ordinary humans to heal and increase lifespan. However, the effect is not nearly as potent as it is in the original host.

There is a trade off, if one wants to gift portions of their gift that exceed a certain threshold. They won't be able grow far as an elite gifted.

The ranking system for the Gifted society is the Number Line Rank System.

It sounds childish, but believe me its kind of terrifying when you find out who is who on the scales.

Ranks are decided from 1-9 in descending order. The lower the number, the stronger you are. The peak among ordinary Gifted is Rank 0. Gifted who reach this rank are respected tremendously. The ranks are usually measured by Gift output and your GGA (Gift Generated Ability).

Then are the monsters who transcend Rank 0 and enter the Negative Rank. These guys are revered. They are few but the stories I've heard made me want to have no part in any of these organisations.

The process of consolidating Gift energy is simple yet hard. It's a process of creating gift nodes all around the body to ensure the flow of Gift through the body is efficient, strengthening the body over time. The more nodes one can create, the stronger they are, physically.

Nodes concentrate and distribute Gift energy. When they are opened, releasing the Gift within, this is what is called Gift Release.

Eventually gifted awaken an ability though I'm not sure of how that works as I'm not a Gifted myself. I don't know what I am. Lycanthropy is not common or rare, but there have been Lycan Gifted before. I was just not born with a semblance of Ephemeral Gift.

I have posed as a Gifted to join the FBAC using the ring that my uncle gave me to pretend that I have Gift energy. Frankly the testing process wasn't as strict for me as I was an asset they wanted.

(A/N: I know. Both have uncles. We all have uncles).

As I was contemplating my next move, the giant of a man took a step towards me.

'Given the amount of Gift he is exuding, I'd say he is a Rank 5. That's pretty high,' I thought at that moment.

The next thing I saw was a blinding blue flash that lit up my entire vision, literally burning my eyes!

Not a moment later, I felt piercing pain that burned, wriggling snakes of electricity tearing through my abdomen. The physical force of the blow caused my lower ribs to shatter, I felt my left lung being ripped by the force! The pain was made even more devastating by the fact that I had been holding my breath.

Before I could even scream, I was launched at a great speed from my position, hearing a thundering impact that was most definitely the destruction of the house!

I flew!

I only remember the image of the giant with a blindingly glowing blue hand outstretched in my direction, getting smaller in less than a second, then I plummeted into something hard, then something soft!

The impact hurt my back, but it was nothing compared to the pain of having blood in your lungs, chips of my bones piercing them as they bled!

I panicked! I couldn't breathe! When I looked at my chest, I only saw a gaping hole with my insides visible, lungs spasming, intestines wriggling with arcs of electricity pulsing and burning them!

I coughed vehemently, blood gushing out of my mouth.

A delayed scream shook me, coming from behind me. It was a woman's scream.

I turned while in immense pain and saw a woman crying and screaming in utter terror as her eyes looked between me and what was underneath me.

I forced myself to look under my body, only to see the remains of two people who were hardly recognisable by gender or age anymore. All that could be seen was brain matter oozing and mingling with blood and waste. Shattered bones could also be seen between the torn flesh of what looked like two people.

I was just now realising I had crashed into someone else house. In the lounge. The whole roof was gone.

I was in too much pain to be shocked or repulsed. I quickly used my fingers to remove the shards of bone in my lungs so that they could heal.

This was something I prided myself for.

After that, I saw my lung starting to heal and my flesh staring to recover at a visible rate.

Suddenly I heard the rhythm of trained footsteps running at an astonishing speed from both sides. It was the agents.

A commotion was already evident outside as people were wondering what was happening.

I forced myself up.

Almost immediately I heard surging beams of energy headed towards my position!

It's the Uniforce rifle!

Damn it! Are these guys insane?!! There are civilians out there! You question my conscience when you indiscriminately kill the innocent and the guilty?!

Sure enough with a single massive flash, I,  the woman and the people I had sensed gathering around the house were blasted to hell! The explosion was deafening! It blew up the house and shattered the earth!

I immediately lay on my back before the beam struck. It has one speciality after all!

Anti-regeneration!

I couldn't afford have the regeneration on my chest be halted.

I gritted my teeth feeling the excruciating pain on my back. It was overbearing! My pain receptors were screaming and my entire back was glowing a light shade of blue from the rifle's effect!

I had to kill those agents!

I stood up, my clothes burnt, and only modest pieces remaining.

The ground under my feet was extremely hot, burning my hands. I saw a black skeleton of the woman who had been screaming as well as those of the other civilians! This was cruel!

I vanished from my position, heading towards one of the agents who was on the roof of one of the houses in the area.

Many of the residents were fleeing and screaming. They all knew something was wrong!

Transforming in this situation would be like painting my back with one big target, so I decided to use my human form.

I bolted towards the agent at an impressive speed, but....

Something sharp shot through the edge of my neck and tore a circular chunk! I spun and fell on the ground gripping my neck as blood gushed out!

Shit! There's a sniper too???!

I looked around. I couldn't see him! All I saw were tens of agents running in formation with the AK Uniforce in hand surrounding the perimeter!

Damn! I tried to stand, but tens of rays shot towards me and combined into a single blue ray that released a sharp zapping sound when it collided with me and the ground!

Most people don't know what it feels like to be in the middle of a high radiation or intense heat explosion. I do.

My body was burning, the dust and heated air was burning my lungs and I could hear the sizzling sound from the small hole remaining on my chest which was doomed to not heal anymore now that I had been shot!

The molten ground, hugged my already messed up back, the dust making it harder for me to breathe and get my bearings!

Shit! SHIIIIIIIT!!

I have to use my trump card. Now!

Ever since I entered the FBAC, I was taken for the better version of most Lycan. I was bigger and stronger! However, that was all I revealed. If that was all I was, then I would never risk entering the organisation in the first place. I was different from other Lycans.

I tried to stand up, but I heard a loud thud, as if something landed from the sky. Then, the sound of massive arcs of electricity resounded, lighting up the whole area blue. It was this monster, still in his tanky armour and gas mask as well as

goggles!

I saw the blinding light again, and this time it was worse!

A rigid overhead punch with the full force of electricity pounded me back into the ground! I was one with the ground again. The super heated, molten ground.

My hair burned, skin alight and my skull broken from the punch!

It didn't end there!

The monster locked his fingers, raised both hands high and slammed them with a much more potent lightning charge brimming from them!

I swear, the entire ground pulsed with electricity that bordered on a lightning strike! The entire area within a 30 meter radius was obliterated!

What was left of me was a half broken skull, a black charred body with not even the semblance of clothing and a blue glow that hovered on some parts of broken or torn limbs.

I was on the verge of death. This was a fierce attack. I could barely respond. This wasn't a game where the villains would wait for you to power up.

Using the remains of my strength, I gathered every bit of energy in me and brought back the beast I had kept hidden within!

The hazy black aura that always covered my fur in my wolf form, became a full blown dark mist.

It seeped into my body, rejuvenating it to the best of its abilities. My skull recovered at a ridiculous pace and the charred skin began to break off. I felt a renewal within me as domineering strength covered my being.

I wanted to laugh.

I wanted to rip out their guts in pure ecstasy for the pain they had caused me.

I wanted to stand atop their bodies triumphantly like the King of Monsters!

(A/N: Wink).

My eyes glowed a reddish golden hue and what were supposed to be my whites, became my blacks!

I wanted to launch a surprise attack, but unfortunately, this bloody SUA was a problem.

As if he had sensed the increase in my strength, a shimmering burst of electricity that released bolts as thick as a grown man's thigh everywhere crackled making his entire figure like that of a deity!

His more than 2 meters tall body became blindingly bright as the amount of Gift he was emitting was ridiculous.

For the first time in the fight, he finally spoke.

"You're quite resilient."

I did not reply!

I rushed him, even with his godlike appearance, I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

My speed was greater, my strength beyond what I could exhibit in my normal form!

I reached his figure and launched a hook punch backed by a shocking amount of strength and speed. He couldn't react! I hit him in the ribs, but the Gift guarding his body was immense! I felt no impact at all. Like punching a rock.

I launched another punch that went straight for his face, but he dodged and launched the scariest straight punch I had ever seen!

The air burned from its energy, and atmosphere rippled from its force. The arcs of lightning followed the arm as traversed towards my head!

Even with my enhanced strength, I'm still no match??!

I hurriedly ducked the blow, escaping death!

However, everything behind me was razed to oblivion. I felt a quake as true power obliterated what was behind me!

This was bad!

I couldn't beat this guy!

His offense and defence were insane!

What could I do then?

Run? No!

Kill all the other agents!

I was bitter. I had to kill something!

I vanished from before the monster and sped at a speed that shocked even me to the rooftops where most of the agents were perched.

With each step I felt a projectile miss me by half a second!

The sniper couldn't keep up!

I reached first agent, and before he could react to my arrival, his head was gone!

I held his head in my hand and flung it with all my strength towards an agent who was about to fire his rifle.

His head and the one I threw exploded with the same grace as a melon crushed by a rock!

Ten more agents died in 3 seconds before I felt an overbearing burst of lightning strike my back and blow me away!

My charred skin recovered almost immediately, but I was flung over 40 meters away!

When I landed, I didn't dare go back! I used all my strength to ...run!

I ran. I couldn't fight with something like that. It was an assured death.

I moved with a speed unimaginable for miles until I reached a small town I didn't even know.

The moment I stopped, I felt as if my blood was flowing in reverse. I vomited blood and knelt down. 

I couldn't afford to attract attention lest I draw that beast towards me again. Therefore, I pushed myself to run at a slower speed, feeling my strength draining away.

It was around noon when I finally couldn't take it anymore.

I had reached a little forest near a school. I just fell down, without being able to move. I was exhausted. If those bastards were on their way, then I was doomed. I still didn't know how they were able to track me.

My consciousnesses slowly started to wane till I couldn't keep my eyes from closing shut.

Is this really how it ends?

I can't even avenge Linda!

I can't even kill that bastard, Derrick!

Is this what being cursed means? To die like an insignificant ant?

Why???!

And then my consciousness faded.

***

A terrible headache woke me up.

I had a little strength in me and I felt warmth from a fire set near me. I wanted to hurry up and stand, but my bones and flesh ached. Some of my skin was still dry as well as burnt and it hurt like a b*tch!

I turned my head and saw the figure of a young man sitting on a log and smoking a cigarette.

It was dark.

Was it night already? How long have I been out?

I looked at the young man who kept nonchalantly smoking Os into the air and spoke in a very weak voice.

"Who....who...are.....you?" I asked.

The young man drew in a deep breathe and exhaled more smoke.

"Me? I'm just an insignificant soul in Eriss. I don't exist to most people," he said and finally looked at me.

"But if I am anything in this world. Then I am.... the murderer of Linda Emite. Your lover."

My pupils constricted.