The abandoned warehouse stank of rust and fear. Saul crossed his arms, glaring at the two men in front of him. One was the middleman who took his contract. The other, a gang leader, sat holding his bandaged arm, his face swollen with bruises.
"You failed," Saul said, his voice sharp in the silence.
The gang leader looked up, real terror in his eyes. "That kid... he ain't normal."
"He's just a U-Class boy," Saul replied.
"No." The gang leader shook his head hard. "We had him surrounded—four of us, all armed."
He pointed to his broken arm. "I cut him deep. Should've put him down. But his eyes..." The man trembled. "They filled with this... rage. Like looking at the devil himself."
The middleman shifted uncomfortably. "You're exaggerating."
"I'm not!" the gang leader snapped. "He took down all of us in seconds. Broke Dren's jaw with one kick. Shattered Miko and Lev's knees."
He leaned forward, voice dropping. "He could've killed us all. But he didn't. He wanted us to suffer. If he's unawakened, he ain't a normal human."
The gang leader's hands shook. "I'm leaving town tonight. Don't want to be anywhere near when he comes looking."
Saul was quiet for a moment. "So this U-Class nobody defeated four armed men despite being injured?"
"Whatever he is, I want no part of it."
Saul nodded slowly, then raised his hand without warning. A blinding flash erupted from his palm. The gang leader's head simply disappeared, his body slumping to the floor.
The middleman stumbled back, hitting the wall with a thud.
Saul calmly fixed his sleeve. "Find someone better," he said coldly. "And find me everything you can about this boy. If what he says is true..." He paused at the doorway. "We may be dealing with something unexpected."
After Saul left, the middleman stared at the smoking corpse, his hands shaking as he activated his NIP.
"We need professionals," he whispered. "Real ones this time."
The beast lurked in the darkness. It looked like a giant tiger the size of a bear, its eyes glowing with white light. A ghostly mist poured from its mouth, spreading across the cave floor. Everyone trembled at the sight.
This wasn't what they expected. No one had seen this lightning tiger beast before.
The plan was simple: Dmitri and Koda would defend the front. Viktor, Ronan, and Elise would lead the attack. But Elise was already gone, leaving them one fighter short. Felix stood frozen with fear, so Theon took her place. Leonid would shoot arrows from above.
Viktor created black blades from the metal in his back, weapons extending from his hands. Ronan gripped his massive axe, ready to trap the beast with his earth powers. Theon drew his sword, the steel catching what little light there was.
The beast lunged toward them—a blur of motion.
Leonid shot a flurry of arrows, their paths cutting through the air with soft whistles. Dmitri hardened his body to stone. Koda created an energy shield with her left hand. None of Leonid's arrows hit. Viktor's blades missed too.
The beast's claws slammed into Dmitri.
BOOM!
The impact echoed through the cave like thunder.
In the same instant, the beast leaped into the air, jaws wide—
CRUNCH!
The sickening sound of bone and flesh filled the cave as it caught Leonid mid-flight, soaring over the others. It landed at the back of the cave and tore Leonid in two like paper. One half tossed aside, the other stuck in its bloodied jaws.
It swallowed the remains like a casual snack. Everyone froze, horror on their faces.
"It's too fast—we can't even see it move!" Koda said, eyes wide.
Dmitri groaned, struggling to stand. If not for his hardening ability, he'd have been torn apart too. They needed a new plan—fast.
Koda took the front, with Ronan moving forward. Viktor stayed in the second line, while Theon advanced. Anya rushed to Dmitri, trying to heal him. The beast paced along the side of the cave, eyes darting from person to person.
Blood dripped from the beast's mouth—Leonid's blood.
Koda's suit hummed to life. Panels on her back slid open with a mechanical hiss. Plasma guns deployed, hovering above her shoulders. In her left hand, a shield formed, pulsing with blue light. Her right hand held an energy blade that cut through the darkness.
"I'm gonna kill that thing!" Koda shouted, her voice raw with pain.
I promised Nova... and Luna... I have to make it back alive. I can't die here.
The beast charged again—Koda's plasma blasts slowed it, forcing it to leap across the cave walls. It moved like lightning, too fast to track.
Theon raised his sword, ready to fight, but in a flash—
CRACK!
His sword shattered like glass. The beast's claws tore through his muscles, cutting deep.
The attack sent Theon flying. His body crashed against the rocky wall with a hollow thud that shook the entire cave. He hit the ground hard, gasping as pain shot through his body.
The beast rampaged, knocking everyone aside with crushing force. In the chaos, it snapped its jaws toward Theon—but Koda's plasma shot struck its head at the last second. It staggered. Theon was saved. But the blast knocked them all back, bodies scraping against the rough cave floor.
The beast shrieked with rage and pain. Felix and Koda looked at Theon. He was moving. Still alive.
Koda cried out, unleashing a barrage of plasma fire that lit up the dark cave in flashes of blue and white. Felix clenched his fists.
I have to be stronger. I have to protect my friends!
Inspired by their courage, he summoned his power. From his palms burst a golden beam—bright as daylight, pure energy. It lit up every corner of the cave.
The beast stumbled back as the beam hit it, the energy burning into its hide. It shrieked in pain.
Viktor and Ronan saw their chance—Viktor's blade cut through its hide with a wet, tearing sound, and Ronan's trap held it still as he struck with his axe, the heavy blade sinking deep into the beast's flesh.
The beast roared in agony as it broke free, shaking the ground. It jumped away, leaving dark blood on the stone.
Its mouth opened—blue lightning crackling in its throat, the air becoming heavy. A sphere of electric energy fired forth with a sharp hiss.
BZZZZT!
Ronan took the full hit. Her body convulsed as electricity coursed through her—then collapsed with a soft thud. Lifeless.
Everyone froze. But the beast wasn't done.
Its mouth glowed again, electric blue light casting eerie shadows across its face. It dashed toward Koda and Viktor. Viktor jumped aside. Koda stood her ground, firing relentlessly, each shot booming in the enclosed space.
The beast took aim—moving slower now, deliberate. Felix tried to help—his blasts missed, hitting the cave wall and sending rock shards flying. Koda's shots hit—but the beast didn't flinch.
The beast fired another energy blast.
CRASH!
It struck her shield with a deafening sound. She was thrown into the wall, her suit sparking and failing.
Felix landed a hit when the beast slowed to fire—his energy beam cutting through the air and striking it. But it struck back instantly.
The beast's attack sent Felix sliding across the ground, his armor scraping against stone. The beast stumbled, hitting the cave wall in a shower of rock.
Viktor saw his chance. Blades flew from his hands—striking deep with a dull thud as they embedded in the beast's flesh. Dmitri, skin hardened to stone, charged forward.
The beast's paw connected with devastating force. Dmitri's body was thrown through the air—knocked out cold—crashing into Anya with a sickening impact. She collapsed, silent.
Theon, barely conscious, saw it all. Ronan's lifeless body. Koda and Felix down. His heart screamed.
No! I can't let this happen!
His mind raced through all the pain around him. All those deaths for nothing. Anger surged through him, hot and unstoppable.
Pain surged—but something awoke inside him. Familiar. Like when Darius had healed him in the Fold. His wounds began to close. Strange energy flowed through him.
I won't be the weakest again.
Theon stood. Fists clenched in anger. Felix rose beside him, body aching but determination unbroken. The beast crouched, ready to pounce.
Seeing Ronan's death shocked Viktor. All he could think was:
We're done. I'm going to die... I have to run.
His face pale with fear. He turned—too late.
CRUNCH!
The beast clamped its jaws around Viktor's head. At the same instant—Theon struck.
WHAM!
The beast flew backward, Viktor still in its mouth, the impact of Theon's blow echoing through the cave. The sound of Viktor's skull breaking echoed across the cave—a wet, horrible crack.
"AAGHHH!" Theon yelled, his voice raw with rage and grief. He charged again, punching the beast one blow after another, each strike followed by a fierce kick to its gut.
The beast slammed into the wall, knocking down rocks and dust from the ceiling. Felix charged a massive energy sphere, golden light gathering between his palms, growing in intensity until it was almost blinding.
He released a deep cry as he unleashed the energy, the blast surging forward in a brilliant beam that struck the beast squarely. It bled. Struggled to stand, its legs shaking.
It roared again from pain, the sound so intense that their ears hurt, making them cover them. The air around them started to change, growing heavy with electricity.
A low hum began to fill the cave, rising in pitch. Electricity surged from its body in violent arcs. Theon couldn't get near as bolts of energy lashed out randomly.
"What... what's happening?" Felix asked, his voice thin with fear.
"Something's not right, get cover!" Theon shouted.
They dove behind rocks. A shockwave exploded through the cavern, followed by a deafening blast that sent rocks and debris raining down from the ceiling.
BOOM!
When they looked again—The beast stood tall. On two legs. A humanoid form. How...?
There was nothing like this they had ever heard of. Its body crackled with power. Electric beams shot into the ground, burning the stone.
It raised a hand. The rock before it exploded in a shower of fragments.
CRASH!
Theon and Felix jumped away, barely avoiding being hit by stone shards.
Felix thought—
They all fought for me... and I did nothing. I can't run anymore!
Light gathered in his palms again, forming a bright point of energy.
Theon's eyes narrowed.
His power won't be enough. I have to stop it.
The beast charged—its hand aimed at Felix. Theon moved. Instinctively.
He jumped—shielding Felix. Electricity tore through him with a searing burst that lit up the entire cave in stark, blue-white light. The electric surge passed through Theon's body and hit Felix.
Felix flew backward. Light burst from Theon's body. Blinding. Surging. Electricity coursed through him, changing something inside.
Theon's body began to glow from within. The floor started to crumble.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion ripped through the air, deafening them all. A power surge sent a shock wave beyond the cave, throughout and beyond.
Silence. Theon collapsed.
The beast was gone. Something had changed.