The alley was the same dead-end street where Loki and I had fled earlier. Seeing no one around, I silently unleashed my full speed, dashing forward like lightning. I quickly reached the end of the alley, but there was no one there. Suddenly, I heard a familiar female voice coming from the warehouse behind the Department Store's fence.

  “Duke! The world is already in chaos. Laws don't matter anymore. Even if I took out Axel, he was corrupt! You know that!"

  A male voice responded—it was young and filled with disdain.

  “Tsk, Sophie, you're too naive. Do you really think I'm hunting you down over that? As a fellow Chosen One, you should know that devouring another's Evolution Seed enhances our own abilities.”

  Sophie's voice sounded weaker. “Killing me won't be that easy!”

  Boom! A loud crash echoed. It seemed the two had exchanged blows.

  Then, I heard a rushing sound, and something came flying toward the wall where I was hiding. I quickly dodged to the right, just as the wall crumbled where I had been moments ago.

  A disheveled figure tumbled to the ground—it was Sophie!

  She saw me, but her gaze remained fixed on the man in the courtyard, her cold expression unchanged.

  What should I do? Save her or not?

  It was obvious that the man in the courtyard was from some law enforcement agency. But now, he was a Chosen One, and he wanted to devour the Evolution Seeds of others. If I didn’t help Sophie, I might be his next target. But with my current strength…

  Damn it…

  I sighed in frustration. The skill points I had gained from leveling up earlier remained unallocated. I decided to invest them in the skill that had once disappeared—Thunderlight Sword.

  I summoned my skill menu and was startled to see that the yellow-highlighted skill wasn't Thunderlight Sword.

  Mutant Thunderlight Sword: Active. The Chosen One condenses a flashing Thunderlight Sword imbued with paralyzing electricity. The weapon is sharp, lightweight, and its effect lasts permanently. If destroyed, it consumes the Chosen One’s core energy but can be re-summoned.

  Without hesitation, I allocated my points to the skill.

  Then, I signaled to Sophie. She was smart—she struggled to inch backward while still keeping her eyes on Duke.

  Inside the courtyard, the Duke chuckled darkly.

  “Hahaha… Sophie, you can’t escape. Just hand over your Evolution Seed!”

  His footsteps approached slowly.

  "My pulse raced. I focused as his footsteps approached… Three… Two… One!"

  Now!

  I felt a surge of energy in my hand, and in an instant, a crackling, electrified longsword materialized. Without hesitation, I spun around and lunged toward the courtyard—

  "Slash! My sword cut deep into Duke’s abdomen."

  His reflexes were terrifyingly fast. Even as I struck, he countered with a palm strike aimed at my head!

  Too fast!

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  I had no time to react. My vision blurred as a deafening boom erupted inside my skull, sending me flying backward.

  The Mutant Thunderlight Sword dissipated—not because it was destroyed, but because it reverted to pure energy and returned to my body.

  Dizziness overtook me. My head throbbed violently. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted. A faint fragrance filled my nostrils before everything faded into darkness.

  When I regained consciousness, it was already night. My head was still aching, but I forced myself to sit up.

  I glanced around—I was near a riverbank, seemingly close to the wetlands near my home.

  By the water, a lone figure sat gazing into the distance.

  It was Sophie.

  She must have heard me stir because, without turning around, she spoke in a calm, emotionless voice.

  “You're awake…”

  I let out a soft hum in response.

  A wave of fear surged through me. What if my sneak attack on the Duke had failed? What if his palm strike had killed me? What if Sophie had chosen not to save me? Or worse—what if she had taken my Evolution Seed while I was unconscious?

  Thinking about all these uncertainties, I couldn't help but shudder.

  I steadied myself and asked, “Who exactly is Duke? What happened to him?”

  Sophie still didn’t turn around. Her voice remained indifferent.

  “He's the captain of the Special Forces first squad. Though your strange sword paralyzed him, we had no choice but to run. Consider ourselves lucky to have escaped. You should know—he has already absorbed over thirty Evolution Seeds.”

  More than thirty… I was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to terms with it. Of course, that guy had the advantage of numbers and could use his authority to collect Evolution Seeds. His speed was bound to be much faster.

  Suddenly, I thought of Ares, who was still waiting for me! I struggled to get up, but a wave of sharp pain in my head forced a low groan out of me. No, the rescue team was supposed to arrive by evening. Ares definitely wouldn’t have left with them—he would be waiting for me. That meant the situation must be chaotic by now. Worse, if Ares encountered Duke, there was a high chance he would be exposed as a Chosen One. If that happened, Ares would be in serious danger!

  The more I thought about it, the more I felt the urgency to get up. Even if it meant running into Duke again, I had to find Ares!

  At that moment, Sophie finally turned around. In the moonlight, I could see her face—she was beautiful. She looked at me calmly.

  With a determined expression, I said, “I have a friend who's still waiting for me. He's in danger, and I need to find him. This is where we part ways. Take care.”

  With that, I turned and started walking away. But I had barely taken a few steps before the world spun around me, and I lost consciousness again…

  When I regained awareness, I noticed a faint fragrance filling my nose. My body was swaying gently, as if someone was carrying me. But my chest felt sticky.

  I slowly opened my eyes. I didn't recognize where I was. It seemed to be early morning, and we appeared to be on a mountain.

  Sophie was carrying me on her back, walking.

  I moved my arm slightly and rasped, “Put me down.”

  Sophie gently lowered me to the ground. I still felt weak all over, but the pain in my head had subsided significantly—though occasional stabs of sharp pain still pierced through like needles.

  I looked up at Sophie and noticed her pale lips and exhausted expression. She was clearly drained of energy.

  In a low voice, I murmured, “Thank you.”

  She didn't respond. Instead, she leaned against a tree by herself.

  Feeling the stickiness in my chest, I initially assumed it was just sweat from rubbing against Sophie's back. But when I looked down, I froze—

  My shirt was stained with blood!

  Then I remembered the wound on Sophie's back. My heart clenched. Even in her injured state, she hadn't abandoned me…

  I scanned our surroundings and asked, “Where are we?”

  Sophie gestured to the left with her chin. “If we go over that mountain, we'll reach the Cemetery.”

  I frowned, still worried about Ares. But I couldn't leave right away—Sophie was too weak, and I couldn't just abandon her. I had to stay until she recovered enough to move on her own.

  I continued, “Your wound… it's still bleeding. We should find a clinic and get some bandages. But we seem pretty far from the city.”

  I had bandages in my backpack before. But when Duke attacked me, Sophie had to carry me. To move faster, she must have discarded the pack along the way.

  Sophie lowered her head and weakly said, “Let's go to the Cemetery first. There's a road there—we can find a car and drive.”

  I asked hesitantly, “Can you drive?”

  Sophie nodded.

  I didn't press her for more details about herself. If she didn't want to talk, no amount of questioning would make her. So, I let it go and instead asked, “Do we still have any water left?”

  Sophie shook her head.

  This wasn't looking good…

  I nodded and said, “Then let's hurry. Hopefully, we can find some water and food near the cemetery…”