"Surrender."

Kael’s voice shook despite his attempt to sound confident. The jagged fragment of metal in his hand pressed against Mary’s throat before drawing a thin crimson line across her skin as he stared directly at Lucien.

The apartment fell silent.

Aiden’s lips curved upward slightly as he finally saw victory completely within his reach.

Then something changed in the air itself.

The ferret opened its eyes, unnoticed by everybody. The small creature remained perched atop Emily’s head exactly as before, appearing harmless and lazy but the color within its eyes had changed into a deep azure glow.

An instinctive sense of danger crept through the room at once, making the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand upright in alarm.

Crack.

The sound echoed clearly through the air, and everyone’s gaze snapped toward the source.

The space beside Kael was breaking apart.

Fractures spread across reality itself like cracks across a broken mirror. They expanded rapidly, twisting and overlapping until two jagged tears finally opened behind him.

And all this while, no one moved.

The oppressive energy emanating from the tear itself was so huge that even standing for a non-awakener felt like a heavy task that required every last bit of effort.

And then, something emerged out of it.

Long black claws extended from fingers that seemed far too large for the opening itself. Hands that appeared to be made entirely of dark shadows stretched from the tear while an ancient and indescribable presence leaked in the air.

The pressure that followed descended instantly, and this time, not even the awkaeners were spared.

Evelyn nearly collapsed to the ground, while Clara herself fared no better.

Kael’s face lost all color as he tried to move his hands but found himself unable to move.

Even Aiden’s expression stiffened.

For the first time since entering the apartment, the confidence within his eyes vanished completely. He finally understood what had unsettled him when his gaze had met the animal’s.

Nobody could move or speak, all they could do was watch the hand do what it was supposed to.

It extended towards Kael, one wrapping around his face while the other around his chest.

His face went white as he tried to scream.

"W-Wait—"

The shard slipped from his trembling fingers and before anyone could react, he was pulled back inside the tear.

His body shouldn’t have been able to fit, but it still did.

The opening closed and the pressure vanished, followed by a heavy silence throughout the place.

A deep, unsettling silence.

Everyone remained frozen where they stood, their minds struggling to process what had just happened.

The ferret had disappeared into thin air the moment the tear had materialized.

Then another tear opened directly above Emily before the ferret dropped into her waiting arms. It curled itself into a small ball and closed its eyes as though everything that had happened was insignificant.

Lineage...

Questions flooded Lucien’s mind but currently, none of them mattered.

The battle wasn’t over and Aiden was still alive, not to mention his body that was nearing its limit.

He thought of the syringe stored within his inventory.

The Overclock Serum.

His final gamble and last option.

Lucien took it out and drove the needle into his neck.

Immediately, the world exploded in his vision as colors danced before his eyes. Every sound became clearer, and every movement became slower. The fluctuation of spiritual energy appeared before him with impossible clarity, allowing him to feel the changes in reality itself as he sensed the flow of energy throughout the entire apartment.

His already heightened senses expanded to a terrifying degree.

Aiden had been unable to move under the spiritual pressure but even after it had ended, the sight before his eyes had for the very first time made him hesitate.

And when he redirected his attention to Lucien, he saw him injecting a syringe directly into his neck.

What is he doing?

Then the transformation began.

Lucien’s white hair lengthened rapidly, flowing past his shoulders before reaching his waist. Meanwhile, the colors of his eyes exchanged themselves, making his pupil become a swirling white inside his completely dark sclera that seemed to trap light itself.

Not wasting a second, Aiden lunged at him while activating his talent once again.

Lucien was about to close his eyes to locate him through his other senses when for the first time, he could see the shift in distortion itself.

To be more precise, he could see the movement of spiritual energy that allowed Aiden to become invisible and phase through non-living things.

But he also knew that it wouldn’t last long as the serum had limited time usage.

Every second mattered, so he struck first.

Bang!

Radiant lightning erupted from his hand and slammed into the dumbfounded stone awakener before he could react.

The armor covering his body exploded apart as cracks spread throughout the stone instantly.

And then it entered the flesh beneath.

The force launched him across the apartment before he crashed through a kitchen counter and disappeared beneath huge chunks of shattered debris.

Lucien never looked back, for the stone awakener had already ceased to matter.

Now only Aiden remained.

He saw through the distortions with ease and just as the oblivious Aiden materialized beside him, Lucien attacked with a strike of his own.

The punch tore through the air and crashed directly onto his face, making him stumble a few steps back.

A flicker of shock crossed Aiden’s face because for the first time — he wasn’t able to even graze him.

He can sense me faster? No. That’s impossible

Aiden closed the distance instantly, only for a kick to land straight into his ribs.

He tried once again, only for a punch to shatter his guard. Lucien was using his lightning talent to cover his hands and legs in a thin layer of electricity that left behind an intense numbing sensation.

His movements became slower and panic finally began replacing his confidence.

"HOW? HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?"

For the first time since awakening, genuine emotion could be felt in his voice.

Lucien didn’t answer.

Aiden launched himself forward with everything he had left.

The second his fist neared Lucien’s face, Lucien’s body bent backward with unnatural flexibility before his legs left the floor entirely.

Boom!

A powerful kick struck the side of Aiden’s head. His ears rang as the impact sent him flying, and his body only stopped after falling on the floor.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and his breathing became uneven, the blow had landed directly on his brain, leaving him unable to focus clearly.

And then another attack arrived, an ice spike.

Wha—

Aiden tilted his head at the last possible second, narrowly dodging the strike. Or so he thought.

It tore straight through his ear and blood sprayed across the room.

"Arghh—"

Aiden staggered, and only now did the possibility of defeat enter his mind.

The distortion around his body intensified immediately as he used every bit of his powers to escape from the balcony, because all this time, he had thought that Lucien could only sense him faster now.

Lucien raised his hand. Every remaining strand of spiritual energy surged out of the core beneath his navel, leaving nothing behind. Not even a single drop remained.

A single lance of condensed golden lightning appeared in his hand.

It resembled a miniature sun compressed into the shape of a spear.

Aiden’s pupils shrank as he sensed the dense energy, but before he could turn his head behind, the lance shot forward.

Boom!

The impact shattered the balcony railing before Aiden’s body was launched into the darkness beyond the apartment, straight into the Black Water below.

Only the sound of distant waves echoed through the night that shone in the moonlight.