Morgan and Layla laid on the ground, their bodies covered in scars and blood.

  Sweat dripped from their foreheads, mingling with the dirt and dust. Their clothes were ripped and torn, exposing their wounds. They gasped for air, their chests heaving with exhaustion.

  "A freaking fifth step," Morgan groaned, her voice hoarse and weak. She writhed in pain, feeling every cut and bruise on her skin.

  "What freaking monster—" She coughed out blood and wiped it off with her palm.

  "Your aim was to make me drop my guard," Morgan said, struggling to form the words.

  Layla got up, letting out a heavy exhale and straightening herself up.

  After triggering another reset, the wounds on her body had fully healed, leaving no trace of the fierce battle. "The difference between you and I is stamina," she said, looking down at Morgan.

  "You might be capable of healing your injuries, but you can't recover your stamina."

  "And that stamina of yours also determines how fast your body regenerates."

  "I, on the other hand, can easily heal my injuries and recover my stamina."

  "The perks of being an eternal..."

  "All I had to do was slowly drain your stamina."

  "That aside, now that you're all calm and settled, I guess it's time I finally ask," Layla's tone became more stern. "What exactly are you all after?"

  Morgan laughed, letting out a maniacal and twisted sound that filled the air. Her laughter echoed in Layla's ears, slightly irritating her.

  "You know... Your students are really talented," Morgan said, a devilish smile creeping onto her face. She licked her lips, like she was savoring the sweet taste of her words.

  "They succeeded in killing most of our pawns."

  "Before I answer your question, beautiful, I'd like you to answer mine..."

  "Do you remember what happened to the first Homunculus you killed?"

  Layla's eyes widened with panic, as her mind flashed back to the events that occurred in her office before they were transported to the island.

  Lian had mentioned it back then, when Reinhart severely damaged the Homonculus that attacked her. It was rigged with a bomb set to go off when it got killed.

  Hearing Morgan's words, she thought, "It wasn't just that one?"

  Morgan noticed the change in Layla's demeanor, and began to laugh again, like a sadist deriving extreme thrill from seeing her victim suffer.

  "Now guess who has the trigger—"

  "Don't you dare..." Layla charged at Morgan with full speed, aiming a punch at her with all her strength.

  "A second too late..." Morgan whispered. She pressed a button on her wrist, activating the device.

  Layla's attack connected, smashing Morgan into the ground, and Knocking her out.

  But she was too late as Morgan said. The trigger had already been pulled. She heard a series of explosions coming from different directions. She heard children screaming as she felt the ground shaking.

  "Crap! Crap!! Crap!!!" She yelled in frustration.

  But like a silver lining The frustration in her voice immediately faded as she felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. Like a giant shackle wrapped around her body had been lifted.

  "Wait... She did it?" She turned her gaze to the sky, her eyes widening with disbelief. "She freaking took down a grade S barrier!"

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  She immediately began to run, as fast as she could, towards the island's coast.

  ***

  Levi and his friends found themselves running towards the direction of the three-way battle taking place.

  "Can someone... someone please explain..." Levi gasped for air, trying to keep up with Kyle and Violet. "why are we running towards the danger and not from it?"

  He was confused. The moment the explosions began, Violet grabbed his and Kyle's hands and began to run. But they could obviously feel the waves coming from the direction they were headed.

  The barrier's effect had weakened greatly and Violet's senses were now working at full throttle. She knew the three who were currently engaged in the direction they were running to.

  "I'm guessing Miss Lian was the one who made the dent in the barrier, but it helped..." Violet responded.

  "What?" Silver shifted his gaze up to the sky and saw the crack. "That explain it... No wonder I suddenly felt less wobbly..."

  "That's good and all, but... That doesn't explain why were running towards a fight that looks completely out of our league," Levi said, glancing between the two in front of him.

  "It's either we go through explosions or we go through there... And put our bets on Garrion. He’s the only one there with stamina left. If anyone can keep us alive, it’s him.”

  She had already analyzed the situation on the island and compared it to their position. While heading towards the three way fight might have seemed risky, she had confidence in Garrion's abilities and could sense he was currently the least exhausted there at the moment.

  So their safety was guaranteed if they ran towards that direction.

  "If that's your judgement, then... That's what we're going with," Levi focused his gaze ahead.

  They arrived at the scene but was met with an energy they'd never felt from Garrion.

  Gone was the wide and energetic grin they'd known as a part of him.

  As for Lian, she was currently on her knees, sweating heavily, and Riley was half-standing, gripping her lance with one arm while clutching a wound that bled freely down her side.

  "I'd assumed it was a mere threat when you all said it earlier..." Garrion's voice was low, but it carried a chill that sent shivers running down the veins of everyone present. "But you actually went as low as harming children."

  The temperature dropped. Even Cain, shrouded in ice, felt it.

  Levi and the others couldn't believe it. "Is that... Really him?" He whispered, like his body was too scared to produce a sound louder than that.

  "Don't move," Kyle placed his hands in front of Violet and Levi. "One wrong movement and we just might die," he swallowed hard.

  Garrion looked at Lian. “Rest. You’ve done enough.”

  He turned back to the enemies before him. “You’ve been wondering what my ability is...”

  "What?" Cain and the others exclaimed.

  "He's been holding Darius off and he hasn't even used his ability?" Cain clenched his teeth. "You've got to be freaking kidding me..."

  Garrion's hand rose, fingers curling into a fist.

  “I’ll gladly show you."

  In that instant, he vanished before their eyes.

  Darius barely registered the blur before a fist cut across his guard. Garrion was moving faster than before but something about the impact was different. It didn't have as much force as it did earlier.

  For someone who just said he was about to get more serious, was that just a bluff?

  “The hell is this?” Darius snarled, teeth bared. “Exactly how much are you looking down on us?” He caught the punch on his right arm, expecting to brush it aside with brute force.

  Instead, the ground grated under his boots as he slid back a few feet. He felt a sudden sharp sting in his arm that made him groan and fall to his knees.

  His entire right arm went limp.

  Darius’s eyes snapped wide. "What is this?” His voice shook with both rage and confusion. “There wasn’t even much force behind that. How did you—”

  Garrion stood across from him, his face blank. His fists flexed once, slow and steady, as if winding a clock.

  "Force?" He didn’t shout. "I don't really need that now, do I?"

  Garrion's ability was Soul destruction.

  He was a ki manipulator who could harm his target's soul directly. This ability proved to be lethal against any opponent, regardless of their physical or magical defenses.

  Only few were capable of protecting themselves against it. By attacking the soul, Garrion could inflict extraordinary pain, damage, or even death with a single attack.

  Cain’s expression hardened instantly. He hadn't figured out what was happening yet, but he knew one thing, taking a hit from him at that moment would be fatal.

  They had to eliminate him fast.

  “Shit—this ability’s dangerous. We have to kill this guy, fast!”

  The three of them charged at once at once, breaking formation, angles sharp and desperate. Selena aimed her blade for his side, while Cain swept low, and the third aimed to pin him from behind.

  But Garrion's speed was beyond theirs.

  A palm brushed across Cain’s ribs, his body buckled, making him freeze in place from the sudden pain.

  He punched Selena in the stomach, sending her flying into a tree. He then kicked Cain in the face, breaking his nose and jaw. He followed up with a blast to Darius.

  They all felt as if their hearts were being squeezed.

  Reinhart and Riley watched, as Garrion easily defeated them.

  "I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that," Riley said as she stretched her body, still clutching her side.

  "We have to hurry. I can sense the energy levels of many of the students fading," Lian said, rising to her feet.

  "I've never seen him in an enraged state before," Riley said, looking at Garrion.

  "He looks that angry, but he's still in control of himself, otherwise those two would be dead," Lian said, nodding in agreement.

  "Anyway, stay still, let me heal that before it gets any worse."

  "And you guys..." Lian turned towards Levi's group. "Stop staring and come here too..."

  "Those 3 would at least be 1Bs..." Kyle said in disbelief. "And he just freaking took them out like it was nothing.

  As Levi took a step to move, they suddenly felt a suffocating chill spread around the island, making their bones shiver.

  "What... What is..." Levi clenched his chest, struggling to speak.

  "Can we just get a god damn break..." Before Riley and Lian could turn, they felt a gust of wind and a sharp pain in their backs.

  They instantly fell to the ground, coughing out blood as their visions were hazy.

  They looked up and saw a young guy standing.

  He had short, black hair, and dark eyes. He wore a white shirt, black pants, and a silver necklace. He was holding a dagger in his hand, stained with blood.

  The guy tilted his head in Garrion's direction. "Tell me... Is it really you?"