The clash between the man and Assassin caused a massive shockwave that ripped the ground apart. Their hair fluttered in the wind as the intensity between their auras grew.

  Rocks flew everywhere, and a few landed near Vii. She covered her face from the intense wind in an attempt to shield herself.

  “The power being unleashed between them is crazy,” said Vii. Since this was the first mission they were assigned, it was the first time she had witnessed the power of someone in the group.

  “I wouldn’t be wrong to say that Assassin is stronger than me, but regardless, I have to help him,” said Vii. She lifted up her sniper to take aim and support Assassin.

  The man and Assassin were still locked in a clash, trying to overpower each other. This was Assassin’s full power—yet it wasn’t the man’s. Since he was in the middle stage and Assassin was in the early stage, the man didn’t even have to use his full power to match him.

  Vii focused her sniper and took aim at the man before firing. The bullet pierced through the wind at high speed. The man, cautious and expecting a strategy like this—especially from a weapon user—noticed the bullet coming. He stomped the ground, causing it to rise in the shape of a pillar to block it.

  “Shit!” yelled Vii.

  The man used more power and overpowered Assassin, pushing him back a few feet.

  “Watch out!!” yelled Assassin.

  Vii looked around and couldn’t find the man—until she looked up. He was descending with a ferocious punch. She felt the overwhelming power behind it and froze. Under the pressure of that power, she couldn’t bring herself to move. Inches away from her face was the man’s fist.

  Suddenly, at the same moment, a green blade came down between them. Inches from her face was his fist. Inches from his fist was Assassin’s blade. In the nick of time, Assassin had teleported to save Vii. This was an extremely useful ability in moments like this.

  The man glanced toward the sword, and instead of continuing forward, his fist unleashed a fierce gust of wind that blew him back into the air. Assassin was pushed higher, and Vii was slammed against the wall from the force of the wind.

  “Unleashing wind!? That’s one ability—two more left,” Assassin thought to himself. He took note of the ability. So far, he had shown teleportation. Vii had shown her ability to create and change her weapons. The man had shown wind manipulation. Everyone had revealed one of their three starting abilities, which meant there was still more to this battle.

  Assassin flipped in the air and locked his gaze on the man before teleporting. The man’s focus was on Vii, who was now slumped against the wall, so he didn’t notice Assassin’s movement.

  Assassin appeared behind the man, his green sword already mid-swing.

  “Die.”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The man noticed too late and couldn’t fully dodge. He raised his arm to intercept the sword, and they connected. Assassin immediately teleported next to Vii.

  “He used wind, meaning he should only have two more abilities left like us. We should try to get him to reveal his other abilities so we can make a better plan,” said Assassin. Vii nodded in agreement.

  “What’s the plan for now then?” asked Vii.

  “Just keep trying to attack from a distance. I’ll protect you if he gets close—but don’t fully count on me. Don’t forget, he’s much stronger and faster than both of us. I’ll try to keep him occupied, and if you see an opening, don’t hesitate to take the shot,” replied Assassin.

  “Got it.”

  “What’s with this intense pain in my arm!? It feels like it’s going numb!” yelled the man as he landed on the ground.

  “Poison. I’m a trained assassin, so I know many methods of killing—and one of them is poison. This battle has already been decided. At this point, we just have to outlast you, and victory will be ours,” said Assassin.

  The man grinned. He suspected poison when his arm went numb, and now that it was confirmed, he knew he was in a tight spot. An assassin who could teleport with a poisonous blade and unknown abilities—alongside a ranged fighter with more yet-to-be-seen tricks. In a one-on-one, he could win easily, but this was a two-on-one where their skillsets complimented each other.

  “Outlast? The only thing I have to do is kill you both. I’m superior to both of you. Victory won’t belong to you,” he said casually.

  He cracked his knuckles. The real battle was about to begin.

  Assassin stepped forward with his sword in hand and unleashed a green aura. The man responded, releasing his own orange aura, walking toward him until they were face to face. The man, a few inches taller, looked down at Assassin with a grin. Assassin looked up at him calmly—then disappeared.

  The man blinked, instinctively kicking behind him—no contact. He looked left, then right—nothing. That only left one place. He looked up and saw Assassin swinging his sword down at his head. Assassin was trying to end the fight quickly.

  The blade came inches from the man’s head before he ducked. It sliced the air just above him. The man jumped slightly and twisted in the air, kicking Assassin and sending him flying. Assassin’s sword tumbled to the ground.

  The man landed on his feet and launched toward Assassin.

  Assassin barely recovered before the man was already in front of him, delivering a barrage of punches. Assassin managed to raise his arms and block, but the blows were heavy—each one backed by the full strength of the middle stage of the first awakening. He couldn’t keep this up for long.

  Vii readied her sniper again. She couldn’t risk aiming directly at the man’s body since Assassin was in front of him. If the man dodged, she might hit her partner. So she aimed above.

  She fired. The bullet sliced through the air with a ripping sound.

  The man, caught off guard, assumed it was aimed at him and quickly stomped the ground—spikes of earth shot up in all directions.

  “You missed,” he said with a laugh.

  “This is your partner? I thought I’d have to go all out to defend myself, but she’s not even useful. If I take you down, she’ll fall easily. Your leaders should be embarrassed thinking you two were enough to take us on,” he said loudly—intentionally so Vii could hear it.

  In Vii’s mind, she did feel useless. So far, she hadn’t done any damage to the man. She hadn’t helped much. She was a good shot—but not truly contributing. Still, she wouldn’t let that stop her. Assassin’s plan wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t enough against someone this powerful.

  While the man was trying to get in her head, Assassin had teleported back to his sword, then to her side. He was panting, coughing up blood.

  “His punches are strong—too strong. I don’t think I’ll be able to block more of them,” said Assassin, gritting his teeth.

  “Hey, Assassin, I know you said for me to stay back and shoot, but I’m not doing much out here, so… change of plans,” Vii said with a grin.

  Assassin looked at her, curious. He still believed in his plan, but he could admit it wasn’t working well.

  “So what’s the plan?” he asked.

  She lifted her sniper. It glowed brightly—then separated into two weapons. In each of her hands was a kama.

  “It’s simple—we go all out,” Vii said, grinning.

  Assassin sighed and gave a short laugh.

  “You’re right. Don’t hold anything back—strength nor abilities. Our lives and our worth are on the line.”

  He clenched his left fist and raised it slightly. Vii grinned and bumped it with hers.

  They both unleashed their full power, their auras radiating outward as they stepped forward. The man laughed, releasing his full power in response. His aura stood taller than theirs—a clear difference in power. The intense battle is about to begin…

  The battle to decide victory finally begins!!