The Confrontation!

There are moments in life when one faces troubles they're not sure they'll overcome. All they are capable of at that point is cursing fate. If only they had made better choices, things would've been different. But Kai thought differently in those situations.

If "Oh sh*t, I f*cked up." is a common reaction, then Kai thinks, "Damn, that's a surprise! Now what?" and moves on to solve them, which is something many people are incapable of doing.

Kai knows better than to dwell in the past. To him, rather than wasting time on what could've been done, mulling over useless things, making better choices, and directing the same energy to escape at present or face it sounds way better.

As soon as he realized he was about to be ambushed, he made a split decision just before John ran backward and closed off all exits.

"This is a nice place you have. Can I have the honor of knowing your kind name, lady?" Kai asked, half-teasing, but his voice sounded more coarse than he intended. It was that stupid mask.

The woman just glared at him for some time before asking, "I have but one question for you."

Kai became curious, "Oh, and what is it?"

Inwardly, he was assessing the room's structure to calculate his odds. This room is multilayered with metallic alloys that are hard to bend. Moreover, this was the first time he was locked in a room with another girl, and there was more than one thought running through his head. His body was still experiencing aftereffects using a seodt at full power, and he could only use his powers so much in his current state.

["As I thought, using a Seodt is still too much for you. Your flashy entrance only made you weaker than you thought. You should've rested in the hospital bed for a few more days,"] Zeff commented, but Kai didn't listen, as always.

Even Zeff knew advising him was wishful thinking. If he had his own body, he knew he wouldn't see eye to eye with Kai.

Angelina asked directly, "What did you do to be branded a class five criminal of the state?"

Kai sighed, "... You know, as much as I'd like to take you on a date and humor you, I don't think this is the right time…" glancing at her nametag on her chest, "... Captain Sarge."

He intended to sound cool while saying that but he had conflicted feelings, 'Sure, they're big, but get real, man! This is not the time to be thinking about pervy things.'

"Well, I was stalling for time anyway," answered Angelina, just before her earpiece crackled, and she said, "It's time."

On the other side, her brother received her message in the control room, which he took charge of as soon as possible with his trusted personnel after Zeff killed the previous one, and relayed the order, "Turn on the grids."

Although the present algorithms are far from satisfying, these are the only remaining computers that didn't get burned along with the room and were still functional. So it took time to initiate the grids and bring them under control. The same reason why Angelina was stalling for time with a dangerous criminal in the same room, while her brother worked out his magic.

"The Teslas are online," Bucky said, "Waiting for confirmation, sis."

Ange said with an annoying expression, "Do it."

It was no exaggeration to say both Kai and Zeff didn't see it coming. Electricity was everywhere as a blinding light and blue lightning at each corner of the room enveloped his body.

Being zapped with a thousand volts, Kai's mind went blank. His voice croaked.

But that wasn't the end. Through his mask, Kai saw another attack coming. And that woman was smiling.

"Open fire!" Bucky screamed at Mike.

The firing squad was positioned in the same room as him, cloaked by the darkness this whole time, and revealing themselves by the sudden light and strict orders, they began setting off triggers as sparks flew with the friction in space.

But just then, something happened.

Matthews's communicator crackled again. But this time a voice came through.

["...k....Are you there, master? It's me, I came to help!"]

The split-second decision Kai made before coming back to save him.

***

With empty clangs resounding through the darkness, the bullets fell like flies that had outlived their usefulness.

The 10-foot werewolf-like monster king stood tall, its fur glistening ominously under the pale light. It said, "As I thought, it was foolish of me to expect anything from mere humans, after all. Their toys are flashy, but nothing more."

Shrektha scoffed as he thought arrogantly, 'Hah! I don't think they will last any longer if I use my real powers.'

The only real power he used was telekinesis, to stop the bullets. He had an enormous amount of mana, so he could spend as much as he wanted but still remain at full strength.

[Hidden Trial Commencing!]

A floating message appeared in front of Jake.

The WolfKing let out a bone-chilling howl, the distortions in space shook the surroundings, summoning a legion of direwolves to its side. The direwolves circled the monster, ready to strike.

Like he was on his throne, Shrektha pointed towards the armed humans.

With another howl, the wolves charged forward like a hoard of insects. And the humans responded with their attack.

Seconds felt like an eternity.

Amidst the chaos, Jake stood with his armor and longsword in hand, determination etched on his face. Beside him was Lieutenant Sands, leading an army of soldiers armed with guns and bullets imbued with mana energy.

[+1]

[+1]

…

System messages popped up each time a wolf was killed, but it soon became a distraction that needed to be avoided in the wake of chaos.

The hoard of wolves seemed endless.

'At this rate, we'll be annihilated,' Jake thought.

"Snipers! Keep an open fire!" Sands commanded.

The battle continued, and the direwolves descended upon the group of 30 heroes with various skills. The archers, healers, and mages fought valiantly, but the monster's brute strength and the relentless attacks of the direwolves overwhelmed them. One by one, the heroes fell.

Gyrs, the shield user, held his ground, skillfully taunting the enemy to protect his comrades. But even his bravery couldn't turn the tide as the werewolf remained unscathed, not a scratch on its formidable form.

The kill count of direwolves increased, but along with that, valiant soldiers fell.

Amidst the chaos and despair, Jake and Sands fought side by side, their blades and bullets striking true. But the werewolf effortlessly dodged their attacks and shrugged off their blows.

"Can you still continue?" Jake asked, panting.

Lifting and locking another load of ammo, Sands replied, "I told you, didn't I? I won't let this place fall even if it's the last thing I do. I have people to protect."

That statement felt nostalgic, "Yeah… me too, I have a family inside the base. So," and slaying another wolf, "Let's go and get this son of a b*tch."

The hidden trial seemed too much, and the odds were stacked against them. But in the face of certain doom, Jake and Sands stood their ground, ready to wage a final, desperate battle against the relentless monster.

===