By the following day, Guido's villa had turned into a bastion. All of Guido's spies from different clans in Z City were gathered in his villa: Fire Clan, Water Clan, Ice Clan, Earth Clan, Wind Clan, and Lightning Clan. Each one brought in with their Capos and elite elemental soldiers as well as non-elemental fighters with superhuman strength and speed.

  There was tension on the grounds as the soldiers shifted uneasily, anticipating their foes.

  Niccolo strode into Guido's office with a morose visage. "All troops are assembled, sir. But there's more... Our spies from the Ice Clan are reporting that Kai's father and his friends were nowhere to be seen. They've probably left since yesterday."

  Guido scoffed. "Of course they left. Kai would never make a threat against me without ensuring he'd be fine. I suspect he joined hands with Isaac Technovaire. That son of a bitch must've helped his friends escape."

  Then, a thundering sound shattered the air and swayed the earth. Outside, the dissonance of screams and banging feet erupted. He rushed to the balcony to get a view of the courtyard.

  A heavy cloud of dust rose from the crater right at the center of the villa grounds. Moments later, as the dust settled, the figure stood tall: Kai Ciphera, grinning with complete confidence. His icy gaze fell on Guido.

  "Activate the Ability Tampering Device. Now!" Guido furiously shouted.

  A sharp whir filled the atmosphere as the ATD was activated. For a moment, the soldiers lost their powers and staggered. But Guido had made preparations for all of this.

  "Take the pills!" he yelled.

  The warriors gulped down the Amplification Pills, regaining at least some of the lost strength. Truly, as weak as they were, their sheer number should help them outweigh Kai.

  Yet Kai acted undisturbed, shrugging casually. Isaac's bracelet was flaring up with power, negating the ATD's effects on him.

  He smirked at them, giving them the middle finger, which was all the provocation they required.

  The elemental counterattacks were flying toward him: fireballs, shards of ice, wind blades, and boulders burying him.

  Yet nothing reached him.

  In view of that, every attack repelled harmlessly off an invisible Energy Barrier, ricocheting back toward the soldiers. Screams penetrated the air as their own powers struck back, shooting them down into the earth.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "You call this an army?" A dark chuckle escaped Kai's lips.

  He bolted into action, moving at lightning speed through the chaos. He tore apart soldiers, every swing dismembering limbs and crushing bodies. One warrior came rushing at him, fists enfolded in flames; Kai caught him by the throat and snapped his neck as though it were the most delicate thing to do.

  Guido watched in horror from above. For the first time in years, he felt a chilling cold running down his spine.

  With the realization that they had no chance, the soldiers began to flee.

  "You're not getting away," Kai grumbled.

  He literally vanished before reappearing behind them like some deathly specter. Before one could even blink, a hand was thrust through the chest of a warrior and protruded on the opposite side amidst a rain of crimson.

  Another soldier fled, and Kai shot forth like a bullet and, with a single strike, smashed the man's skull.

  Panic spread like wildfire. Soldiers scrambled in desperation, but to Kai, there would be no mercy. One by one, he hunted them down, laying his prey with terrifying efficiency.

  Within the mansion, Guido and Niccolo were speedily moving around the hall corridors, trying to escape. Suddenly, a roar rocked the very foundations of the mansion.

  Kai, swinging his arm, released an earth-shattering wave of energy. When half the villa exploded, the walls and a roof turned into rubble within the blink of an eye as dust and debris filled the air.

  Guido staggered from the impact, coughing up blood, as he looked up to face Kai, the embodiment of fury, standing before him.

  "No-" was all Guido managed. Niccolo pushed ahead, gun drawn, and fired three shots.

  The bullets halted in mid-air, then turned around. One wedged itself between Niccolo's eyes. He crumpled, dead before he ever hit the ground.

  Kai ignored him. Grabbing Guido by the suit, he lifted him off the ground like a feather.

  "How does it feel?" Kai spat. He slammed Guido onto the busted-up floor.

  Guido gasped as the pain rippled through his body. "P-please—"

  Kai sneered, "Begging? Didn't sound like that when you beat me up."

  Electricity crackled around his hand. Then, a surge of lightning ripped through Guido's body. He screamed and began convulsing violently as arcs of energy caged through his veins.

  It didn't end there.

  More power flowed into the attack, watching as Guido's screams turned hoarse, causing his body to twitch involuntarily, with smoke curling off his clothes, skin burning, and muscles seizing.

  A few minutes went by, and Guido's lifeless body sagged at his feet, the final breath of a tyrant exiled to the ruins of his underground empire.

  Kai stood above him, breathing heavily. Then, without saying a word, he turned away and stepped into the dawn.