The Mind World And The Outcast Hero

Bloodshed Resolve

Nathan, Sindy, and Andrew had been forced into hiding behind a small building. There were simply too many enemies to fight. After Isabella had left to fight Scorpio, the Scorpion mercenaries had began a relentless attack. They attacked using their Art Styles, guns, grenades, and a few other weapons. If the assassins weren't careful, they would easily be killed.

However, Andrew was determined to do whatever it took to complete the mission. He was frustrated with how terrible things had gone for him up until now. It was time for things to change. It was time for him to step up and prove his worth. He had enough.

Suddenly, a grenade was tossed behind the building toward the three assassins. The Scorpion mercenaries had finally found their hiding spot. Sindy couldn't help but scream in fright upon seeing the grenade. It could explode at any moment, surely injuring them in the process. Nathan also panicked as he tried to get Sindy and Andrew to take cover.

However, Andrew refused to move. He was done with hiding. Instead, he looked down without expression at the grenade which was now directly beneath him.

"Andrew!!!" Warned Nathan.

However, this was when something unexpected happened. To Nathan's surprise, Andrew quickly picked up the grenade before clenching it in his fist. With a powerful swing of his arm, he then tossed the grenade back to where it came from.

"I've had enough, damn it!!" He shouted in frustration.

Following this, the grenade exploded with a powerful bang. Screams of agony then echoed from the mercenaries which indicated that some of them had been caught in the explosion. As if this wasn't enough, Andrew then slipped his swords back into his hands before slowly stepping out into the open.

"I'm done being a failure..." He muttered calmly to himself.

"There he is! Kill him!!" Shouted one of the mercenaries.

One of the mercenaries then jumped from atop a building, ready to slice Andrew in two with a machete. However, to everyone's astonishment, Andrew simply sidestepped the attack before thrusting the edge of his blade upward. This resulted in a deafening moment of silence.

Nathan and Sindy could hardly believe what they had witnessed. Andrew's sword had cleanly pierced the throat of his attacker who now dangled from the edge of his blade. Gently, blood trickled down Andrew's sword, soaking his hand red. He had killed his attacker.

"I've made my decision," he calmly stated. "I'll fight to protect my friends no matter what I have to do. There's no going back now so I'll kill every single one of you if I must!"

"Damn it! Kill the bastard!" Ordered one of the mercenaries in rage.

Soon after, gunfire echoed through the area as the mercenaries aimed to kill Andrew where he stood.

"Oh, shit..!" He squealed.

"Wind Art: Great Gust!!"

To Andrew's surprise, Nathan came out of hiding before quickly summoning a powerful gust of wind that managed to distort the trajectory of the bullets, saving his life.

"You good..?" Asked Nathan with a grin.

"Heh- I knew you had my back! But where's Sindy?"

Nathan didn't respond. Instead, he simply gave a reassuring smile. This was when Andrew caught a glimpse of Sindy who had skillfully managed to boost herself atop one of the buildings. Due to all the mercenaries giving Nathan and Andrew their undivided attention, they had failed to detect Sindy who was silently approaching them.

Due to this, Sindy quickly moved closer to one of the mercenaries before lodging her knives into his back, killing him instantly. Blood then promptly covered her hands in a coat of red before she moved towards her next victim.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the mercenaries to notice her. They then turned towards her before firing a hoard of bullets. However, Sindy was smart. She quickly utilized the body of the mercenary she had killed earlier as a human shield to protect herself from the gunfire.

This resulted in the mercenaries running out of bullets without being able to even graze her. Sindy then quickly released the body of the dead mercenary before jumping towards the next roof.

The moonlight illuminated Sindy's presence like a true assassin as she jumped with her knives clenched tightly in her fists. She then slammed her knives into the eye sockets of her next victim who had been desperately trying to reload his gun.

"It would have been faster to use an Art Style than to reload your gun," mumbled Sindy.

On the other hand, Nathan was amazed by Andrew's and Sindy's resolve. None of them liked the idea of killing but they were willing to do it if it meant helping him carry his burden. This filled Nathan with confidence knowing that his friends would stick by his side, no matter what.

Just then, Nathan glanced at two grenades that had been thrown towards him and Andrew. They had to react quickly or else they would certainly die. Without hesitation, Nathan jumped before skillfully kicking one of the grenades back towards its owner like a soccer ball. He then tried deflecting the second with the flat of his katana but regrettably, he was still a little too inexperienced to pull it off. This resulted in the grenade falling behind him, ready to explode at any moment.

Fortunately, Andrew had his back. He swiftly used the hilt of one of his swords to knock the grenade back into the air which was followed by two consecutive explosions. This resulted in a small building collapsing atop five more mercenaries, crushing them like insects.

 Sindy then took this opportunity to rejoin Nathan and Andrew on the ground. They could hardly believe how well they had been fighting. However, they knew better than to let their guard down just yet.

Calmly, they then observed the surrounding area to see if they could find any remaining enemies. However, it was evident that those who remained were in hiding, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"Hey Scorpions," called Nathan. "Where are the surviving townsfolk!?"

"They're already dead! The Beast King slaughtered them all!" They replied.

"The Beast King..?" Mumbled Sindy. "Where is he?!"

"He's long gone! You were too late! Even if you defeat us here, the damage has already been done! We can afford to die knowing that our effort will soon revolutionize the entire Mind World!"

It was as Nathan had feared. He had failed to save anyone yet again. The Beast King had completed another massacre and there was nothing that he could do about it. Nathan failed to understand what drove people like the Beast King to seek so much pain. Why did they exist in the first place? It was sickening.

"Hey, guys..." Began Nathan in a chilling voice. "There are a total of ten enemies remaining. Three are up on the nearest roof to our right, four are hiding not too far behind us, and another three are inside that building to our left. Sindy, you kill the ones on the roof, Andrew will kill the ones inside the building, and I'll kill the ones behind us. Got it?"

"Wait, how can you tell where they are..?" Asked Sindy.

"I don't know... Maybe it's because I'm upset but I can feel my Death Energy pouring out. It's allowing me to somehow detect the life force of everyone around me..."

Sindy and Andrew then exchanged a look of concern. They were sure that what Nathan was experiencing wasn't normal. Back in training, Instructor Brady had told them that only advanced Art users could detect the Spiritual Energy of those around them. However, Nathan was somehow able to feel the life forces of those around him. This transcended being able to detect Spirit Energy, yet he was still a rookie Art user.

"Hey, Nate, you feeling alright?" Queried Andrew.

"Yeah, let's finish this up so that we can join Izzy's side."

Before Sindy and Andrew could say anything else, Nathan ran towards the area where he had sensed the four mercenaries. Upon coming close, a mercenary jumped at him with a sharp dagger. He then swung his weapon aiming to slit Nathan's throat in an instant. However, it would not be so easy.

 Nathan easily dodged the attack before countering with a powerful swing of his katana, cleaving his enemy in two.

"These guys are the bad guys. They helped to slaughter hundreds if not thousands of innocent people... I'm justified in killing them since they're evil, right? It's to make the world a better place..." Thought Nathan to himself.

Upon seeing that their colleague had been killed, the three remaining mercenaries revealed themselves, ready to attack with powerful Art Styles. They were almost certain that Nathan wouldn't be able to dodge all three attacks. However, they were wrong.

"Lightning Art: Fading Strike!" 

Electricity then arced outwards from Nathan's body. This was followed by the heavy sound of thunder as Nathan seemed to vanish for a short moment before reappearing behind them. Their throats had all been slit before they could even activate their Art Styles. Nathan's Fading Strike was just too fast.

Just then, Nathan came to notice that one of the mercenaries was still alive. The cut across his throat was far too shallow to end his life. Nathan was still a little too inexperienced. Fortunately, it was evident that the mercenary was in no condition to fight back.

"Please, I beg you!!" He bawled. "Don't kill me! I don't want to die yet!" 

Nathan trembled with rage as he placed his sword against the throat of his foe. He had no intention of letting him live.

"Would you be sorry if I hadn't defeated you? Would you be sorry if I had let you continue your onslaught and murdered my friends? Were you sorry when you watched those innocent people die?! People like you are only sorry when the tables are turned! I'm sorry but your begging is meaningless to me..!"

Despite the pleading of his enemy, Nathan did not heed. Instead, he swung his sword, swiftly ending the mercenary's life.

By this time, Andrew and Sindy had managed to eliminate the remaining enemies. Slowly, they then walked over to Nathan before placing their hands on his shoulder to comfort him. They knew that despite how he looked, he still felt remorse for what he had done.

 The assassins had killed all their enemies and had left a pile of bodies in their wake. They had finally accepted what it meant to kill and had chosen a path full of consequences. Sadly, this was only the beginning.