Chapter 26: Differen Strength

  When two or more Essentia met, their Brahman usually created a cealment space that prevented normal humans from seeing iioween supernatural beings. However, if one desired, they could willingly resist the cealment, allowing ao withe battles before them. This resistance required signifit mental fortitude, as it meant fighting against the natural protective instincts of one's own Brahman—a skill few mastered and fewer dared to use as an unorthodox strategy.

  While energy bsts or spaces created by Brahman remained imperceptible to normal beings, the aftereffects—such as shockwaves or air pressure—could be sehis expihe tless legends of ghosts and supernatural occurrehroughout the Freya ti, spread by those who had witnessed such bizarre events. Some cimed to have seen buildings crumble without cause, while others spoke of invisible forces that could tear apart steel like paper. Each story added to the mystic veil that separated the world of Essentia from ordinary humans.

  Gover leaders were well-versed in matters ing Essentia, having signed global non-disclreements before assuming high positions. Due to the UG's worldwide ban on Brahman, all nations were obligated to protect supernatural secrets from the general public. This arra had maintained an uneasy peace between Essentia and muhorities feions, though whispers of rebellion against this system occasionally surfaced behind the curtains.

  ood at attention, his mind drifting to the day Harley had first revealed his powers. He'd been a fresh recruit then, witnessing his boss casually killing a rival just using some wine gss who'd dared to challehe Harley’s authority. That day had taught him the true meaning of power—and fear. The memory still made his hands tremble, though he'd learo hide it well beh a mask of professional indifference. He was just happy being paid and following orders, living his life as low scams of society.

  Typically, Essentarii chose to maintain cealment space during bat to avoid gover interfereo rad's surprise, Harley removed the cealment before ung his attack—even more shog, he did so in front of Kalifa ahe act spoke volumes about his arrogance, or perhaps his absolute fiden sileng any withe air itself seemed to thin as the barrier dissolved into nothingness, reality trembling slightly with Brahman particles vibrating as two worlds merged.

  An invisible force threw rad to the ground, the impact sending vibrations through his enhanced body. As he tried to gather himself, his eyes darted toward Kalifa and Neo, both ordinary humans. The weight of entropy pressed against his scioushe natural resistahat prevented Brahman users from carelessly wielding their powers. Each ability used would increase this mental burden until even the simplest tasks became impossible, a safeguard built into the very nature of their power. That was one of the reasons one ot simply just heal or enhaheir body too much whehey so desire.

  "You seem surprised. What happened, dear friend?" Harley asked mogly, though his mind worked to decipher something else entirely.

  He doesn't seem surprised. Does he already know about Essentia and their powers? The thought troubled him—knowledge of their kind was supposed to be strictly trolled. Even more ing was the young man's posure; no ordinary human should be this collected in the presence of unleashed Brahman energy.

  "So you are an Essentia?" rad asked while regaining his footing, his muscles screaming in protest. The burniion in his limbs reminded him of his training sessions with Anira, though this pain carried a sharper edge of genuine danger.

  "Oho? So you knew. But you're just a normal human. I don't know who told you about Essentia, but it doesn't matter—yoing to die." Harley began p wine from his gss. As the liquid fell, it froze mid-air and started vaporizing.

  The crimson liquid transformed into a fine mist, each droplet taining enough Brahman energy to pierce the thick skin of even a bear. The dispy of trol was immacute—a testament to years of refining his abilities.

  Ability: Vaporize

  rad observed silently, recalling his training with Anira: Surprise, uability, and caution. It's not the abilities or amount of power, but effid tactics that win fights.

  His mentor's teags echoed in his mind as he analyzed Harley's movements, looking for patterns in the ability activation. Every twist of Brahman energy left subtle traces in the air—invisible to normal eyes. But to rad he could see the trajectory.

  I see them. I use Brahman to predict their movements. I don't know how but I think if i know the fluctuations point they must have a verge point also. But I am not sure if I am right . How should I at least give it a try?

  The vaporized wine suddenly densed into sharp needles, eae perfectly formed and gleaming with deadly purpose. Kalifa unsciously took a step back, her body remembering tless simir ses that had ended in bloodshed.

  Ability: pression

  Neo and Kalifa watched the floating needle-like liquid with their naked eyes; this wasn't their first time witnessing such a dispy. Kalifa's hands trembled slightly as memories of past demonstrations surfaced—how many had she seen fall to these same needles? How many times had she ed the aftermath of Harley's "meetings"? Each death had carved another scar into her soul, though she'd learo bury her revulsioh a mask of professional detat, No it was a svement of herself, maybe a surrender.

  No matter how many times I see the boss's ability, hought, it always feels like a dream. It's like a magic trick. How a human do this? This man is done for. I don't hate him, but he stepped on the wrong tail this time.

  Still, something about rad's posure uled him—no previous victim had remained so collected in the face of Harley's power. Perhaps there was more to this young man thahe eye.

  rad focused on the floating needles, attempting to analyze their positions with his Brahman, but his mi heavy. The pressure of entropy built with each passing sed, like a rope gradually tightening around his sciousness.

  So this is what Anira called entropy. That's why we 't just brute force our way into using abilities.

  The realization came with both uanding and frustration—even with his training, he was still learning the fual limitations of his power. Eaent required careful calcution now, as the weight of entropy threateo overwhelm his senses.

  Whips whips whips

  All seven needles flew toward rad, their trajectories f a perfect killing pattern Harley had refihrough tless executions. Despite his best efforts to dodge the lethal attacks by calg their positions, they proved faster than his speed.

  Three struck his knees and arms, with one pierg directly into his shoulder. Each impact sent waves of burning pain through his body, the Brahman-enhanced projectiles doing more than mere physical damage—they threateo disrupt his own energy trol.

  "Ahhhh," a small sound escaped his lips as he flipped through the furniture to find cover. The pain was excruciating.Anira had warned him about this—the fights between Essentarii were quick. The deg factors are quiess of thinking and efficy of your strategy.

  Cp Cp Cp

  "I'm surprised you moved that fast. I've never seen anyone move like that. You're not an Essentia, so how do you possess such physical traits? A different race, perhaps?" Harley appuded, seeming in full trol of the situatio beh his fideerior, a seed of doubt had taken root. The boy's movements were too precise, too measured for a mere human. Even wounded, he maintained a fighting stahat spoke of professional training.

  “Are you surprised to see that? Then the great bad guy behind the ses is not so great after all” rad said mogly.

  Kalifa observed the young man now hiding behind a sofa through her elegant gsses, remaining silent. Years of serving Harley had taught her to read the subtle signs of his moods, and something was different today. The usual sadistic pleasure in his eyes was tinged with uainty—something she hadn't seen sihe day he murdered his own brother.

  Neo was astoo see rad still alive—this was the first time he'd witnessed anyone survive Harley's initial assault. The needles that had killed tless victims before had failed to deliver a killing blow. A dangerous hope began to stir in his chest, though he fought to suppress it. Hope was dangerous in this business.

  "Kalifa," Harley called out, "bring me my sword." His voice carried an edge of irritation now, the first cra his posed facade.

  Kalifa adjusted her gsses and walked toward aly decorated wooden table where the on y carefully pced. Each step felt heavy as memories of her husband—Harley's brother—flooded her mind. The sword had been his once, before Harley cimed it along with everything else he'd owned.

  rad seized the moment, using his speed to unch himself from behind the sofa toward Harley for a throw. The movement was calcuted, taking advantage of the split sed when Harley's attention shifted to Kalifa. To his surprise, dust particles—heavier than normal—struck his eyes. The attack wasn't just physical; each particle carried a trace of Brahman that amplified its impact.

  Ability: Dust Aggregation

  "Hahaha, to think you fell for this. Such a stupid child." Harley ughed while taking his sword from Kalifa. The on seemed to hum with Brahman, responding to its master's touch.

  The dust peing rad's eyes blurred his vision. His mind grew hazy while his knees buckled, uo find the strength to anchor him. The entropy was reag critical levels now, each attempt to focus his Brahma with increasiance. Anira's training sarios hadn't prepared him for this level of mental strain. No matter how much he tried, he was a beginner afterall. If he wao grow he had to do it someday without Anira. It was a bet on his life.

  This is getting bad, he has a sword now. I need something. Quick, think! I won't get a sed ce. I 't die without aplishing anything. I took this risk to improve myself, to gain something. e on, pull yourself together. Some faces of his previous family fshed in his mind. He couldn't fail here, not when he had to return to his world. That is why he was willing to go to such lengths to grow stronger.

  "Let me relieve you from your misery. You provided great eai. Oh, don't worry—I'll surely enjoy your sister after your death. Cra, wasn't it?" Harley's smile widened into an evil grin. This room held special meaning for him—a trophy room where he enjoyed drinking and eliminating his ehe Teo Society never intervened due to their inner dealings, and these decorated walls had absorbed tless screams of those who'd dared to challenge him.

  "Goodbye, kid. I had hoped to acquire a good man, but as—" The sword began to glow with an ominous heat, the air around it shimmering.

  rad still struggled to recover from the dust attack when he felt heat above him, the air being unfortably warm.

  Ability: Object Heating (sword)

  This 't be. I was careful but still messed up. I need just one ce, something, anything. His mind raced through options, eae seeming more impossible tha as entropy clouded his thoughts.

  Suddenly, a thick file flew toward Harley, striking him directly in the face before falling to the ground. The ued attack disrupted his tration, causing the sword's glow to flicker momentarily.

  "What are you doing, Kalifa?" Harley turo face his personal assistant, genuine surprise registering on his face for the first time.

  "This is my ce. I don't know when I'll get another opportunity... how dare you... how dare you destroy my life... he was your brother!" Kalifa screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks onto her amber dress. Years of suppressed rage and grief burst forth, her professional demeanor shattering like gss.

  "You still hold onto hope? Hahaha, you did this a year ago. Remember how I killed that boy you trusted? And after that how much I made you scream in my arms—entire night" Harley smirked, his expression showing his sense of twisted pleasures.

  "Shut up, you bastard! I'll kill you!" Kalifa screamed again, her eyes reddened with years of accumuted hatred.

  "Don't worry, I'll fini—"

  Slip! Thud!

  The ground shifted beh Harley as he spun mid-air before crashing dowe his superhuman enhas, he felt a sharp pain course through him. The sword flew from his grasp, cttering across the floor. In his focus on Kalifa, he'd fotten about rad—a fatal mistake.

  ood dumbfounded. While beating him had seemed possible for a young maing Harley was inceivable. Yet there his boss y on the ground, with rad standing tall above him. The impossible was beiy before his eyes.

  "You freaky bastard!" Harley's usual posure shattered as he screamed in rage. The mask of sophisticated cruelty fell away, revealing the monster beh.

  "Don't fug scream—I hear you." rad shouted as he drew his on.

  It was Kopis—a firearm with a crimson finish, featuring a long barrel aiful amber der. The on seemed to pulse with its own energy, responding to rad's Brahmae the crushiropy.

  Ability: querors Arrow Kopis (artifact - Gamma)

  "Let's run my first live target test." rad's finger rested origger, though his hand trembled slightly. The weight of what he was about to do pressed against his sciousness.

  What kind of on is that? Who is this kid? Neo remained frozen in pce, witnessing what could be a turning point in his life.

  "Kill him! Kill him now! Kill him, and I'll do anything for you!" Kalifa shouted, years of suppressed vengeance p out in her words.

  "What is this?" Harley asked while struggling to rise, pinned by rad's leg pressure. For the first time in years, real fear crept into his voice.

  Damn it. I've used too many abilities in succession. Should I try dust again? No, I don't have enough Brahman. This is really bad. What should I do? His mind raced through options, eaore desperate tha.

  rad's hands trembled; this would be his first time killing a humae mental preparatioruggled to pull the trigger. The weight of ending a life—even one as despicable as Harley's—pressed against his soul.

  Why 't I do it? My heart's pounding like crazy. My mind's going numb. At this rate, even if I shoot, the Entropy itself will affect the results. I o calm down. Anira's training echoed in his mind, but theory ay were worlds apart.

  Kalifa's screams reached his ears, but he couldn't process them as his mind clouded with indecision. The moment stretched iernity as his fiightened origger.

  This is my ce, Harley thought, notig rad's shaking hands. He reached for the gun, his movement desperate and untrolled—so different from his usual calcuted grace.

  Bang!

  Seeing Harley's movement, rad instinctively fired his Brahman bullet. Time seemed to slow as the projectile left the barrel, carrying with it not just energy but the weight of rad's choice to cross a line he could never uncross.

  No one rushed to the room—everyone knew Harley liked causing ses here. The bullet, pure Brahman energy, tore through Harley's flesh. Kopis's power proved devastating, the shot cutting through flesh and annihiting the surrounding area. Bloody bone fragments became visible in Harley's stomach, with torn iines spilling out amid unstoppable bleeding. The room filled with the metallic st of blood and the acrid smell of burned flesh.

  rad immediately recoiled, dropping the gun and vomitiedly. The sight of humaorn apart by his own hands created a void in his stomach. He spat tinuously, his body rejeg what he'd just done. Each heave brought with it not just physical siess but a piece of his former innoce.

  Neo remained frozey slowly dawning on him. Am I free? But what happens now?

  The power vacuum left by Harley's death would soon draw others like sharks to blood, and he khe peace of this moment was temporary at best.

  Kalifa colpsed, her eyes losing their luster as she stared at Harley's corpse. Memories of her te husband flooded her mind, along with painful recolles that would echo in her heart forever. Revenge had brought no peace, only a hollow emptiness where her hatred had lived for so long.

  Finally, I'm a mooo, rad thought, feeling something irrepceable slip away from his heart. The liween survival and murder blurred in his mind as he realized that power, whether wielded food or evil, always carried a price. The taste of blood in his mouth reminded him that some ges could never be undone, some innoever recimed.

  The room fell silent save for the soft drip of blood and the breathing of the survivors. Outside, the sun tio shine, indifferent to the transformation that had occurred within these walls—the birth of a new mohe death of an old one, and the price paid by all who walked the path of power.