Chapter 41

We arrived at a large rooftop that stretched before us, a tall but wide skyscraper, a concrete expanse bathed in the cold, silver light of the moon.

The city below, its usual nocturnal hum replaced by an unsettling silence, felt like a world holding its breath, awaiting the clash of titans.

Zeno stood across from us, his frail form a stark contrast to the immense power he radiated.

His eyes, those icy shards, locked onto mine with a chilling intensity.

Then, he moved.

Not a single twitch, no telltale shift in his aura or direction of killing intent, just a sudden, overwhelming presence that multiplied into a hundred identical figures, each radiating the same cold, calculating energy.

The Rhythm Echo, amplified to a level that defied conventional technique, filled the rooftop with a dizzying array of afterimages.

But for Rem and me, the illusion was transparent.

 Our enhanced senses, amplified by Nen and Chi, pierced through the deception.

We saw the true Zeno, his aura, though masked by In, a beacon amidst the flickering mirages.

I didn't need confirmation.

I could only see one of them was hidden by In. That identification drew me towards a specific point amidst the chaos.

Without hesitation, I channeled my chi and Nen, my aura flaring, my sword singing as it left its scabbard.

"Annihilation Blade," I whispered, activating my first Hatsu.

Chi, the primal energy that coursed through my meridians, amplified my Nen, doubling its distribution capability.

Ryu, a reactive aura of protection, enveloped my body, while Shu, a concentrated flow of Nen, surged into my sword, its edge humming with a barely perceptible distortion.

Gyo, a technique that enhanced vision at the lowest level and created a devastating impact at the highest, focused on the blade, I then focused, forcing the Nen to vibrate at a frequency that warped the very air around us.

My sword, now a conduit for annihilation, radiated a faint, almost invisible distortion that seemed to devour the air around it even as it lit on fire.

I charged forward, the concrete beneath my feet disintegrating as I moved, the annihilation field surrounding my blade extending outwards, erasing everything in its path.

Zeno, his eyes widening in genuine surprise, bolted backward.

For a fleeting moment, terror flickered across his face, a stark contrast to his usual stoic demeanor.

But just as quickly, his expression hardened, his fear mastered and masked by years of training as an assassin.

He landed on a nearby rooftop, a safe distance from my reach, his body already shifting, preparing for his next move.

"That is an impressive abomination of a Hatsu," he conceded, his voice laced with a grudging admiration. "I don't believe there's an Enhancer in the world who could match that level of destructive power."

He smirked, his aura flaring, transforming into a shimmering, serpentine form that coiled around him, its scales crackling with a golden energy.

"But I don't intend to be Hit by that."

A massive Eastern Lightning Dragon, its eyes seemingly glowing with a malevolent intelligence, materialized beside him. It flew into the air with speed and before anyone could react it struck the old man like an actual bolt from the skies, its form merged with Zeno's, amplifying his already formidable power.

"Walking Like a Dragon," he announced, his voice resonating with a newfound strength and the crackle of golden lightning.

His aura, now imbued with the dragon's vast eclectic current, pressed against me, a palpable wave of pressure that made my skin crawl.

I felt a surge of adrenaline, a primal instinct for survival kicking in.

I darted backward as he moved.

Rem POV

Zeno's transformation was a spectacle of raw power, a shimmering dragon of Nen coiling around him, its energy crackling with a palpable intensity.

He was a force of nature, his aura now infused with the dragon's might, radiating a pressure that made the air itself tremble.

But within that surge of power, within Zeno's predatory focus on Tereda, I saw an opportunity. A fleeting gap in his defenses, a blind spot created by his unwavering intent to crush my beloved.

I moved, my body a blur of cerulean light, my movements guided by instinct and the precision honed through countless hours of simulated combat.

Zeno's attention was locked on Tereda, his every thought focused on delivering a devastating blow.

He wouldn't see me coming.

My new flail, a weapon I had meticulously crafted within Kasimir's multi-purpose crafting chamber, materialized in my hand, its spiked ball gleaming with a cold, metallic light.

I extended the chain, its enchanted links whispering through the air as I channeled my Nen, wrapping Shu and Gyo around the weapon, amplifying its speed and precision.

The spiked ball hurtled towards the back of Zeno's head, a silent, deadly projectile aimed at a vulnerable point he had left exposed in his eagerness to confront Tereda.

He sensed the attack at the last moment, his honed instincts screaming a warning.

He twisted aside, the spiked ball whistling past his ear, its razor-sharp edges missing their mark by a hair's breadth.

But I had anticipated his dodge.

"Multifaceted Shockwave," I whispered, activating my Hatsu.

My aura, a surge of protective Ryu, flared around me as I channeled my Nen further into Gyo, forcing it to pulse within the flail, creating a ripple effect that extended outwards the moment the spiked ball passed Zeno's head.

A massive shockwave, invisible to the naked eye but palpable in its concussive force, erupted from the dodged attack, slamming into Zeno's back with the force of a detonating bomb.

He staggered, caught off guard by the unexpected assault. The shockwave ripped through his defenses, shattering the bones of his left arm with a sickening crunch, sending him hurtling backward across the rooftop.

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the ragged gasps of Zeno's breath and the faint clinking of my flail's chain as I retracted it, the spiked ball returning to my hand with a satisfying thud.

The battle had begun.

And I had landed the first blow.

But then Zeno's eyes were in front of mine.

For an instant I felt nothing and then I was in Tereda's arms as he shook in my arms, We both collapsed into each other as Tereda stroked my hair. "He will pay for that, Rem."

I noticed we were back in our suite at heavens arena in Padokia city. I guess we died again.

—

Tereda POV. 

Abandoned timeline.

The silence on top of the Yorknew Grand Hotel building was deafening, broken only by the ragged gasps of my own breath.

I walked towards Rem, her body still, her eyes vacant, the vibrant blue of her aura and the light in her eyes extinguished.

Dead.

Again.

I stared at her lifeless form, a wave of grief so profound, so overwhelming, that it threatened to shatter my very being. But beneath the grief, a burning rage ignited, a primal fury that consumed every other emotion, every rational thought.

Zeno.

He had taken her from me.

My gaze shifted towards the distance, my eyes piercing through the distance and across the cityscape, towards the distant rooftop where Zeno stood, his form a silhouette against the cold, silver light of the moon.

"You…" I whispered, my voice a raspy growl, my words laced with a venom that chilled even me. "You will pay for this."

I rose to my feet, Rem's lifeless body cradled in my arms, her weight a featherlight burden against the crushing weight of my rage.

Her body contorted in multiple angles twisted my heart.

I strode towards the edge of the roof, my steps heavy, my aura crackling with a power that made the very air shimmer and distort.

"You will beg for death, Zeno," I said, my voice echoing through the empty suite, a chilling promise that carried across the cityscape, reaching the distant rooftop where the assassin stood. "I will break you. I will strip you of everything you hold dear. I will make you wish you had never been born."

My smile widened insanely as a disturbed look appeared on my face.

"I'll tear your nails from your hands, then the fingers from their sockets. I'll pluck your eyes out and force you to eat them, and then, when I'm finally done feeding you every organ in your body, I'll let you die."

Then, with a final, guttural roar that shattered the windows across the city, I detonated my cultivation.

The world exploded.

A blinding white light engulfed the city, a wave of pure energy rippling outwards, erasing everything in its path.

Buildings crumbled into dust, streets buckled and cracked, the very air itself igniting in a fiery inferno that consumed Yorknew City in an instant.

Nothing remained.

Only silence.

And the chilling echo of my promise.