Two days have passed since Kai's fight with Trevor Cryos Kai, and Z City has gradually returned to normal.

  Having finally made a small fortune because of his mercenary work, Kai decided to buy a very lavish apartment in the most prestigious high-rise condominium in the city. It would serve as an abode for him and his father, Lucas Ciphera—just a gesture of gratitude, proof that he had made something of himself.

  Of course, Kai conveniently left out the part where he had spent almost all his money on it.

  That afternoon, Kai moved across the neon-drenched streets of Z City, racing through mission after mission, hunting, hunting down monsters, closing dimensional portals, and subjugating weird creatures in his way while pumping himself to an even better state. His power went up to Level 3.7 in record time with the Ice Clan's Mystic Array and his Mystic Energy absorption multiplier.

  Just as he was about to take another mercenary job, something erupted around him. Waves of heated fire surged from all directions, forming a towering inferno that engulfed the whole area.

  Screams filled the streets as civilians ran for their lives, the flames consuming everything in their path. But as the dust settled, a lone figure emerged from the fire unscathed—his silhouette with a glint of his barrier reflecting.

  Kai smirked. "It'll take more than that to kill me."

  Surrounding him stood over fifty Fire Clan soldiers. And then, stepping forward from the ranks, John Igna appeared, his face contorted with rage and vengeance.

  "Kai Ciphera!" John bellowed, his voice echoing through the ruined street. "Tonight, I will take my revenge and this shall be your grave!"

  Kai tilted his head and taunted. "Revenge? By ganging up on me? You really are a fucking coward."

  John grinned, his confidence unshakable this time. He turned to his soldiers, raising a clenched fist. "Take them!"

  Without hesitation, every Fire Clan soldier swallowed an Amplification Pill, their bodies instantly surging with immense power. Flames erupted from their skin, their eyes glowed with an unnatural red hue, and their power levels skyrocketed—once Level 5 or 6, now reaching Level 7 and even 8.

  Kai's smirk faltered. "Are you crazy?!" he shouted.

  John replied, "Just enough to kill you!"

  All soldiers of the Fire Clan attacked at once.

  Massive fireballs loomed at great distances. Buildings burst into embers and melted, as did the pavement under them. The whole street became a hellish battleground, lit with raging fires.

  John stood back, grinning and observing how Kai dodged and weaved through the hell inferno. "Struggle all you want, Ciphera," he sneered. "By the end of this, you're dead!"

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  The flames were no harm with Kai's Energy Barrier, but too many foes to fight all at once was a big deal because this was getting out of hand.

  "Damn it," Kai thought. "It wouldn't be long before Z City is in ruin."

  He had no other choice. It's time to show them a trick he had been hiding.

  With one mighty leap, Kai jumped onto the roof of a nearby skyscraper, encouraging the Fire Clan soldiers to chase him.

  Standing at the edge, Kai turned back, his hands zapping with electricity.

  "Fuck off!" his shout echoed and followed a thunderous boom as a torrent of electricity shot out from his body and simply surged through the soldiers, immediately obliterating half of them.

  Their charred bodies crumpled forth, all unconscious before they even knew what hit them.

  John staggered back, his eyes wide in disbelief.

  "E-Electricity? " he stammered. " How can he control lightning, too?! No, that's impossible! He wasn't that strong before! And his speed—don't tell me he has super speed, too?!"

  While John was distracted, Kai was nowhere to be seen. John noticed this and panicked but barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his gut, sending him crashing into a wall.

  Kai stood over him, his fists crackling with electricity, his glare piercing through John's soul. "I'm going to kill you."

  John tried to struggle, but Kai's grip already had him by his throat, lifting him off the ground. Then, a blurred vision came to him with the sensation of life draining away.

  Just as Kai would have executed him, a deafening roar reverberated through the city.

  There loomed in the distance a huge shadow. A Red Dragon.

  Kai groaned in frustration before casting John aside like an object, his body landing in the middle of the road.

  "You're damn lucky," Kai growled. "If you're still around after I kill that dragon… You're dead!"

  Before John could even respond, Kai was gone—a blur heading straight for the dragon.

  The Red Dragon was a monstrous beast, its scales glowing like molten rock, its eyes filled with primal fury. It let out another roar, shaking the very foundation of the city.

  The people of Z City screamed in terror, believing this was the end.

  Before the dragon could release a torrent of fire, Kai appeared before it in mid-air.

  With a single punch, he pierced through the dragon's skull.

  A gigantic dragon had lurched forward and crashed onto the street below, thundering in its fall.

  Kai landed beside the carcass, dusting his jacket.

  From a distance, John Igna watched the whole thing, trembling secretly in his legs.

  This was not a mere mercenary.

  This wasn't even human.

  This was a never-so-far beyond anything that he could understand.

  So, without wasting any more time thinking about it, John started running for his life, disappearing into the night, knowing that if he saw Kai Ciphera again, he wouldn't be so fortunate the next time.