I Can Extract Game Items-Chapter 198: Aftermath

Then—

Gunfire erupted.

---

The Shackles Come Off

Within the Oni's command center, Fox, Drakos, Lyriss, and Orlma stood in front of Aleman, watching as the battle outside erupted into chaos.

"We have to move, now!" Lyriss, the Oni assassin, hissed. "They're better equipped than expected!"

Drakos scowled, his golden eyes gleaming. "They were prepared for us. This was a damn trap."

Fox didn't argue. She knew this mission had gone south the moment Aleman revealed the tracker.

But they still had one advantage.

She turned to the two Oni enforcers holding Aleman captive.

"Kill him."

The guards moved, raising their energy blades—

CRACK.

A deafening gunshot rang out, and one of the enforcers collapsed, a hole through his head.

The other spun around, only to be blasted backward by a telekinetic force, slamming him against the steel walls.

Aleman smirked.

At the entrance stood Detective Wright, his gun smoking from the single precise shot.

Behind him, the silver-haired woman stepped forward, her eyes glowing as she extended a hand toward Aleman.

The cuffs suppressing his power shattered into dust.

And just like that, Aleman was free.

Fox's expression darkened.

Drakos cracked his knuckles. "Well, shit."

Aleman stretched his fingers, feeling his abilities return like a flood.

"Alright… let's have some fun."

---

The War Begins

The entire island became a battlefield.

Aleman vanished in a blur, activating Perfect Veil before reappearing behind an Oni enforcer, slamming a dagger into his spine before Phantom Blitzing away into the shadows.

The silver-haired woman, now revealed as Celeste Renard, lifted entire sections of the Oni compound, hurling debris and enemies alike with devastating telekinetic force.

The tattooed man, Darius "Titan" Holt, absorbed bullets and explosions, redirecting them with a single punch that sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

Fox dodged through the chaos, twin daggers spinning in her hands as she clashed with Celeste, their battle sending shockwaves of telekinetic energy across the clearing.

Lyriss, the assassin, moved like a ghost, weaving through gunfire and striking operatives down in precise, calculated strikes.

Drakos charged into battle, tearing through squads like an unstoppable force, his super-enhanced strength making him an army of his own.

And then—

Aleman and Orlma locked eyes.

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The Oni strategist lifted her hand, conjuring a wave of violet energy that distorted reality itself.

Aleman dashed forward, dodging just in time, his daggers slashing through the energy field as he reached her.

Their battle was a blur of flashes and explosions, each strike carrying the weight of two powerful forces colliding.

"You should've joined us, Aleman!" Orlma snarled, dodging a downward slash.

"Sorry, I don't work with terrorists," Aleman shot back, landing a spinning kick that sent her skidding backward.

The fight raged on for what felt like hours.

Then, the tide began to turn.

---

The Oni Retreat

Despite their strength, the Oni were being overwhelmed.

More operatives poured in, securing sections of the island.

Fox, bleeding from a deep gash on her arm, growled.

"We're losing this fight. We need to fall back."

Drakos, his knuckles cracked and bruised, exhaled sharply. "Damn it… fine."

Lyriss flicked a throwing knife, catching an operative in the throat before retreating back to Fox's side.

Orlma, panting, clutched her bleeding side but still glared at Aleman.

Fox activated a remote device on her wrist.

A large explosion erupted at the compound's rear, causing an avalanche of debris to separate them from the battle.

Aleman sprinted forward—

But by the time he reached the smoke—

The Oni were gone.

---

Aftermath

The gunfire ceased.

The helicopters hovered over the island, searchlights scanning for any remaining threats.

Aleman stood among the wreckage, breathing hard.

Detective Wright approached, his gun still smoking.

"They got away."

Aleman nodded. "For now."

Celeste Renard dusted herself off. "That was fun. Let's do it again sometime."

Darius Holt laughed. "Hell yeah. That was a workout."

Aleman turned to Wright.

"Derrick?"

The detective smirked.

"Derrick and Tara are safe. They're under protection."

Aleman let out a breath of relief.

He had won this battle.

But the war with Oni?

That was far from over.

---

------sss

The Aftermath – A New Consideration

The battle had ended, the island secured.

The surviving Oni members were rounded up, cuffed in reinforced suppression restraints to prevent their abilities from activating.

Some had already been transported away, but a few remained for immediate questioning.

Aleman stood at the edge of the clearing, watching as detectives and operatives combed through the wreckage, securing what was left of the Oni's base.

Detective Wright approached, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Not bad work for a so-called lone wolf," he commented, his tone half-joking.

Aleman, still clad in his futuristic armor, remained silent.

Wright exhaled, looking around.

"This is exactly why I keep telling you we need a team of supers. Look at what we're up against, Aleman. Oni is only one piece of a much bigger problem. And we got lucky this time."

Aleman didn't respond immediately.

Instead, his gaze drifted across the battlefield—the fallen, the wounded, the captives.

He had always operated alone.

But was that really sustainable?

Before he could reply, a commotion broke out near one of the holding cells that had been discovered on the island.

A voice—young, panicked.

"Get off me! I didn't do anything!"

Aleman's head snapped toward the disturbance.

Several officers were dragging a scrawny teenage boy out of a hidden containment cell.

The kid looked terrified, his thin frame trembling.

His clothes were ragged, his arms bruised.

And then—

His hand brushed against a metallic plate on the ground.

In an instant, another identical plate materialized beside it.

The officers froze.

Aleman's eyes widened slightly.

"A replication ability."

The realization hit him immediately.

This kid was one of them.

An Enders Light player who had gained real-world supernatural abilities.

Just like him.

---

The Boy Who Replicated

The officers tightened their grip on the kid, shaking him.

"What the hell was that?!" one of them barked.

The boy shrunk back, eyes darting in fear.

"I-I don't know! I just touched it! Please—"

A rough hand grabbed his collar.

"What did the Oni make you do?! Are you working with them?!"

"N-No! I swear, I don't even know why they kept me here!"

The officers weren't buying it.

"We saw what you just did. You're one of them, aren't you?!"

The kid flinched as one officer raised his baton, ready to strike.

And then—

A hand caught the baton mid-swing.

Aleman.

His grip was like steel.

"That's enough," he said, his voice low and lethal.

The officer gritted his teeth.

"Step aside, Aleman. This kid's dangerous."

Aleman's fingers tightened slightly, and for a moment, the officer flinched.

"He's a scared kid, not a hardened criminal," Aleman said.

Detective Wright stepped in, raising a hand.

"Stand down, all of you. Let Aleman handle this."

The officers reluctantly released the boy, though their glares remained.

Aleman knelt down, his helmet reflecting the terrified boy's face.

"What's your name?"

The kid hesitated.

"R-Renji."

"How long have you been here, Renji?"

The boy swallowed hard.

"I-I don't know. Weeks? A month? They—they took me after I logged out of Enders Light one night. I—I thought it was a joke at first. But then they—"

He cut himself off, shaking his head violently.

"They made me do things."

Aleman remained patient.

"Like what?"

Renji's breath shook.

"They made me replicate weapons. Armor. Rare items from the game. Stuff they said was worth millions."

Aleman's stomach churned.

Of course.

The Oni had been using him as a factory.

"And did you ever fight for them?" Aleman asked.

Renji shook his head frantically.

"No! I swear, I—I never wanted to be here! They kept me locked up! Said I had no choice! Please, I'm not like them! I just want to go home!"

His voice cracked, and for the first time, Aleman saw genuine tears form in his eyes.

He was just a kid.

He wasn't a soldier.

He was a prisoner.

And these damn officers were treating him like a criminal.

Aleman stood up, turning to Detective Wright.

"If you really want me to lead this team of supers, you're going to make sure this kid is properly taken care of."

Wright raised a brow.

"He's valuable, Aleman. And we can't just let him loose without knowing the full extent of what he can do."