William Lorson had chased Katrina for no more than thirty seconds before realizing her plan. He conjured a long-winged bird made of his black flames and sent it rushing at her target while he hastily made a U-turn and returned to the now-destroyed small house.Upon seeing the huge and dangerous bird, Katrina’s eyes narrowed as she leapt in the air and unleashed all of her power.Her counterattack wasn’t as flashy as William’s, nevertheless, it was no less deadlier: She swung both hands, slashing the glistening silver blades, and released a milky-white sharp aura that spun unidirectionally.The magical bird clashed against the agent’s formless white aura, causing a soundless shock wave to crush the street, scorch the lamps, and melt the concrete.Katrina managed to safely get rid of William’s destructive flames, but that was only the beginning as she landed on the ground like a cat and then, like an unstoppable bullet, gave chase.The role of the cat and mouse changed, but even then, K
Although Albert had quelled the agonizing pain that tortured Sulong, the constant ringing sound inside of his head kept going.“The boy… Zeke… he’s in danger.”There was a foreboding and inexplicable sensation swelling within Sulong, urging him to go to Zeke’s side. However, he was given no directions or guidance, making the situation all the more difficult to deal with.It got so bad that Sulong’s ability was manifesting by itself, forming a circular war of crimson flames seemingly protecting him from outside danger.****[Pain-Junkie Main Path has been unlocked!][Fortitude stats already available][+7 Fortitude][+10 Strength][The user ‘Voltage Sync, Zeke’ has obtained the following skills: Surge of Pain - Body Damage - Self-injection][Surge of Pain has been activated: +20 to all stats][Surge of pain has been activated: +30 to all stats][Surge of pain has been activated: +40 to all stats][Body Damage has taken effect]Zeke was in no state to check the new skills, however, his
“S-sir… they didn’t pick up any of our calls. I-I’m afraid…”“It’s fine.”Edward unceremoniously waved his hand at the stuttering young man. Since Olivia, his mother was involved, he wanted to bring her here for questioning, but she had holed herself in the Vyrsan household, and trying to drag her by force was impossible.When he was given the signal, agent Howard Drant unfolded the document and spoke,“The initial investigation was completed. We’ve secured some intact machines from the basement. They were trying to operate on Azmer Lorson and Zeke Orland. From the looks of it, it’s directly related to Project B-11.”“As I thought.” Commented the disheartened Edward, a sigh escaping his lips.His parents had been in charge of Project B-11, but due to the lacks of funds from the Department of Defense and the need for live subjects, the project was put on hold five months ago.Many high executives, including Edward, didn’t condone human experiments, which put pressure on the greedy and
When Zeke opened his eyes and finally awakened from his premature slumber, he felt an uncomfortable numbness in his left arm. He let out a soft groan as he immediately remembered what happened.He had used ‘Over-drive’ to retaliate against William Lorson, but his body couldn’t cope with prior over-exertion along with the almost fatal injury inflicted by the frightening black flames.‘This is Erys’ infirmary. I survived… that’s a good thing.’The young man slowly sat up while chuckling in a self-mocking manner. His whole left arm was wrapped in tight bandages, but even without getting a good look, he knew it was irreparably damaged.Still, there was no need to regret or worry about this consequence. Doctor Xavier was nowhere to be seen, so Zeke turned his attention to the accessible System Logs.********[User: Zeke Orland][Race: Human][Level 7 (16/105 EXP)][Strength: 99][Agility: 84][Aether: 91][Fortitude: 25][Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Voltage Body(1/44) | Groundbre
“You’re really a magnet for all sorts of trouble!”Unexpectedly, Samuel was the first visitor of Zeke. The energetic youth had snuck in the dead of the night when Xavier had retired to his room. “Freaking hell, dude! Your arm looks like shit!”“It does indeed.” Replied Zeke while softly laughing. In times like these, Samuel’s honesty was a breath of fresh air. Although they didn’t have a lot of time to hang out recently, Zeke’s impression of the Detective’s son was favorable. After all, Samuel would offer help when asked and despite his blabbering mouth, he was a loyal and amicable individual.“What did that gloomy doctor say? Will you be able to participate in the Practical Exams?”“He wants me to rest, but I don’t want to be graded solely on the Theoretical Exams.”“Speaking of which, I’ve got the chart.”Samuel grinned and leaned closer as he fished out his phone and showed a picture to the curious Zeke.Depicted on the poorly-taken picture was the chart for the upcoming battles,
In the spacious and cozy ‘lounge’ of the Special Investigation Squad, Celestia Black and John were looking at the campus, their eyes focused on the crowd of people opposing each other. Most of the students were either asleep or readying themselves in the dorms, so there weren’t many onlookers, to begin with. Those who happened to witness such a sight were wise enough to keep their distance and opt for being quiet spectators.“From one hole to the other. I almost pity the boy.” Remarked Celestia as she kept her eyes on Zeke. While it was true she had first disliked him, her impression of him slightly changed. His attitude notwithstanding, she knew that he was a good-natured youth, one whose circumstances pushed him to become an impassive and overall gloomy person. John, who stayed a couple of paces behind the girl, remained silent for a long time before a chilling voice came out of his now unsealed lips.“Prepare yourself.”As she heard the Talking Sin out of nowhere, Celestia turne
“This is the place where they kept the kid?”Edward, who, despite Zeke’s unknown whereabouts, was in a surprisingly good mood. After what happened in Erys, the entirety of the Vyrsan family will be seeking revenge. If Olivia were to die, they were would have sufficient motive and not even Solas would be able to completely stop them.The incident was so big that the Department of Defense had already learned of this. Edward was certain that they would eventually figure out the truth and would pursue Zeke, but their intentions remain to be verified. They wouldn’t outright wish to harm Zeke, first because he was Edward’s family, and second because they weren’t knowledgeable about the System, thus making them wary.“Yes, sir.”Katrina stood at the entrance of the clean and empty office, politely bowing her head to Jan, who was accompanying her benefactor.“Indeed… I can smell it. The strong and foul scent of blood. It wasn’t a normal spawn, I’ll tell you that.”“The report says that his ag
Tuesday evening, the second day of the Practical Exams.North-West of the Sunken Metropolis, there was a chain of big and small hills housing several farms and settlements.Atop one such hill, filled with nothing but a stretch of grass and flowers, Zeke stood under the setting sun.He gazed at the sky, which was dominated by a beautiful orange hue as a cool wind breeze brushed against his skin.His charred black arm tingled and he felt a bit of pain, but it was manageable. The young man, who changed into casual clothes and cleaned his previously disheveled appearance, took deep breaths as he patiently waited.A fair distance away, at the side of the road, Jack and Sulong were chatting without a care in the world. They were enjoying cold beers, instructed by Zeke to await his return, no matter how time would pass.After an indeterminate amount of time, Zeke heard footsteps coming from the rear, and when he turned around, he saw the blond-haired Azmer.“I honestly thought you wouldn’t
“I and Hephradet personally studied it, but found nothing. Here you go.”Kleya handed back the strange item back to Zeke.“There’s no Aether or any other foreign energy inside. We couldn’t determine its purpose.”“I see. Thank you anyway.”“Don’t worry about it. You should rest more or else I’ll never hear the end of it from Jenny.”Zeke wryly smiled and nodded. His mother kept nagging him day and night, telling him to rest and not continuously wander around the castle checking on everyone and making sure there were no issues.His body was already healthy and he felt no odd disturbances or unexpected awakenings. Everything is as normal as it could be.Just as Kleya left the room, Jennifer came in. Behind her was a red-faced Celestia, which made Zeke frown.“Mom?”Surprisingly, Jennifer grabbed his ear and pulled him to the couch.“Did I not tell you to overdo it?”“W-what? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s not what she told me!”Celestia stood a distance away, her head lowered in emba
“It’s still too early to assess everything, but… over 80% of the entire planet’s population died.” Kleya, whose eyes were a bit red and her face was filled with fatigue, sat across Zeke and Celestia. “And Her Majesty?” When she heard his question, Kleya lowered her head and held herself back from crying. “We… we think she died fighting the System. It’s no longer possible to return to the Unending Star, so we decided to acknowledge that Her Majesty was amongst those who had fallen there.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. She… she died protecting what she believed in. Us. Not just the Witch Association but all of the Aether Planet.” Zeke sighed, feeling sorry when he saw Kleya like that. The Witch Queen was the pillar of the Witch Association, their respected leader. It was especially so for Kleya and the other 6-star Witches, excluding Jennifer. “A-anyway, the situation at the capital of the Nezulian Republic remains the same. We’re still looking for a way to cancel that Frost Spell cast
“Huff… huff…” With a hand pressed against his hurting chest, Zeke dragged his tired feet toward the fallen copy. The copy’s head turned to look at him, its eyeballs, which looked as if they were to pop-out, were letting out the familiar yet incredibly dim crimson light. “We had completed our objective. There was nothing left for Us to do.” “That didn’t give you the right to wipe entire civilizations.” “You… wouldn’t understand, Zeke Orland.” Unlike earlier, the System spoke through the copy’s mouth. Its charred and cut lips moved in an unnatural way, but the voice was identical to Zeke’s. “We had succeeded. We had saved the world. Then, We understood that our creation, our existence was only for that purpose. That We were a tool destined to cease existing.” “...” “We could not tolerate that.” “So you manifested a will of your own?” In response to that, a self-deprecating laugh came from the copy. “After choosing our first User, we saw how the Races we were supposed to prote
While the Phoenix battled the System in the Cursed Plains of the Unending Star, Zeke’s fight against his copy continued.Things took a turn for the worst when the Crown was crushed and the System’s powers dramatically increased. Nevertheless, Zeke didn’t lose yet. His body was flung and then crashed into the ground, blood gushing out from his shoulder and back.Even then, he slowly stood up and grinned toward the System.“Still fighting the good fight.”The previously calm ‘copy’, or at least the System’s disembodied voice, grew agitated as Zeke refused to remain on the ground.“My will is not so easily broken.”[Voltage King]Zeke’s eyes shone with an azure light as his voltage grew silent and became white.[Divine Champion][Divine Sreyzhanian Arts]Just as he charged at the System again, its body suddenly turned stiff as if being immobilized by something.The item handed by Kayro Ol Zerg flashed from Zeke’s pocket.[Fist of Fury]Zeke’s fists, glowing orange and wrapped in condens
“What’s wrong? I thought you were invincible in your domain.”Zeke’s taunt had no effect, at least not at first. The System stood straight and looked down on its wounded body.“You know nothing of Us.”The copy raised its hand, and very soon, something familiar appeared.It was a tangible object of an odd-shape, but Zeke knew what it was. The Crown.“You will know what it is to be helpless and defeated, 5th user.”“You’re still talking?”Zeke let out a smile and charged forth, his fists wrapped by thick voltage.The System crushed the crown as the red voltage manifested and exploded in an uncontrollable manner.…“Is it done?”Julia Lopmore furrowed her brows as she looked at the enemy, whose body was crushed, burned, and almost unrecognisable. It wasn’t a body anymore, but a mass of flesh and poison.The silence lasted for a very short time as the Crown also appeared in reality.“Stop it!” Shouted Frederic as took out a blue bead, one with the same size and shape that Nicneven had pr
Xiao, with his spear in hand, actually deflected the Divine Thunder before safely landing on the ground.Several people appeared close to the Witch Queen. As she swept her eyes across the six people that unexpectedly showed up here.“Your Majesty, we’re here to lend a hand.” Frederic Whitefort smirked and looked at her as he muttered those words. He had brought along Azmer, Xiao, Celestia, Ava, and Julia Lopmore.“You… how ar-”“We can save that talk for later, eh?”Frederic motioned toward Zeke, who was standing there and staring back at them with a hollow expression.“As I’m the weakest of the bunch, I’ll just stay behind and offer assistance… as well as try to heal Her Majesty.”The Vagabond knelt next to Nicnteven and extended his hand towards her. He let out a warm and serene white light, which made her feel rejuvenated. It was Holy Magic, something which she didn’t know he could use.“Wouldn’t Zeke die if we tried to kill the System?” Asked Julia while furrowing her brows.“Not
Right after the destruction of the Heart of the Dead Ends, Zeke stood there, seemingly in a daze.The Witch Queen stared at him intensely, and when his eyes glowed with a crimson light, she immediately attacked.Jonathan roared and rushed as well, a creeping Darkness exploding from his hands.Nicneven struck out from afar, unleashing a blazing wave of flames, fused with a spinning thick beam of Ice-aspected energy.The Paths of Extinction System, which had taken control of Zeke’s body, retaliated with full-force as well.Dozens of thunderbolts erupted from Zeke’s raised hand, blasting Jonathan back and clashing with the Queen’s magic.“The Seat of Magic.” Muttered a voice that didn’t resemble Zeke albeit speaking from his mouth.It was emotionless and cold, one which no living being would be able to imitate.[Voltage Zap]Using such an elementary skill, the System shot innumerable bolts that arched in the air and concentrated on Nicneven.She jumped out of the way and performed a stra
“I know this is a lot to take in, Zeke Orland. But, I want you to trust me. Know that I have your best interest in heart and I wouldn’t have come unless necessary. I could’ve let you venture alone and complete your objective, after which you’ll be killed by your own System.”Zeke pointed his open hand toward the incoming shades.[Voltage King]A barrage of lightning bolts was unleashed, piercing through the shades and extinguishing them. They vaporised in an instant, leaving only a bit of red fog.The Dead Ends and the Paths of Extinction System, they both had that unique and ominous crimson light. However, Zeke thought it was just a coincidence.Now that the truth was revealed to him, he felt a bit lost. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that his System was dangerous or a threat as he had already suspected as much after learning about Edward Heart.Nevertheless, the fact that it was a tool from the very beginning did make him feel weak and clueless.An eerie silence flowed between Ze
Thanks to the thunderstorm Zeke had previously summoned, the three of them managed to reach and enter the Black Spike. Strangely enough, the entrance of the spire was fully-opened as if beckoning them inside. “This looks man-made.” “Because it is.” Answered Nicneven as she held the black katana with one hand and controlled five differently-colored elemental orb with the other. The interior of the black spike was empty but particularly eerie. Everything was black and except a spiralling staircase that led to the top, there was nothing else, not even the crimson fog. “Who made it?” “...” “Why do you refuse to tell me anything, Your Majesty? What is the Dead Ends? Who created it?” “You do not need to concern yourself with that. Just destroy the Hearts and everything will end.” Her immediate dismissal did irritate him, but he didn’t press her for answers he knew she wouldn’t give. “This is the final stretch. Jonathan, take the vanguard.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Jonathan pushed bac