In the City, while Sughi relaxed inside his lab eating snacks, he stared lazily at the ceiling and muttered to himself:
"Wow… another warfare. If the Elite Squad of the City wins, then the Lightning Country will have to assist us with their devices and technology. I see where you're going with this, Kojin."
He took another bite of his snack, smiling slyly.
Meanwhile in the Lightning Country, Kinto and Hendrickson's battle continued tearing the forest apart. Hendrickson blasted huge pillars of lightning straight at Kinto, each strike detonating with enough power to level several hills. Kinto, however, moved at blinding speed, weaving between the attacks while firing his own red explosive beams to counter.
These beams weren't ordinary blasts—they fired with such force that they not only met Hendrickson's lightning, but overpowered it, creating massive shockwaves that burned entire patches of the forest into ash.
As he dashed across the battlefield with the red mark glowing fiercely along his arm and stretching to his eye, Kinto monologued in his mind:
"This mark on my arm… the Explosive Mark. It fires red beams of pure explosion, and they're insanely powerful. It boosts my speed and strength—right now, I'm as fast as light. Just one of these beams is enough to wipe out half a city. That's why I rarely use it…"
His grin sharpened.
"But right now… I'll use it to my heart's content."
Kinto jumped back and created a massive red beam, firing it at Hendrickson at terrifying speed.
Hendrickson smirked. "You think an attack like that can stop me!?"
His robotic arm shifted, transforming into a blaster that fired a gigantic lightning beam. The two attacks collided, creating a massive explosion that shook the entire forest. Trees were thrown into the air, the ground cracked, and several kilometers of forest vanished in flames.
When the smoke cleared, Hendrickson spoke confidently:
"Is that the best you got? Honestly, that attack was useless. That thing could wipe out a few city blocks—maybe thirty. But my lightning could wipe out an entire city, at least. That's why I'm B-rank."
Suddenly, Kinto appeared behind him.
"What if I told you I held back?"
He slammed a powerful punch into Hendrickson's face, launching him through countless trees like a bullet.
Hendrickson skidded across the destroyed ground, then slowly got up, wiping blood from his mouth. Instead of anger, he grinned.
"Damn… didn't expect that. You don't have energy at all. How can someone with no energy have this much power?"
Walking toward him, Kinto answered calmly:
"Well, you're right. I don't have energy or any special ability. But I'm smart enough to take down most opponents just by studying them."
Hendrickson laughed loudly.
"Don't screw with me! You're talking like you're the protagonist or something. What? Think you're in a manga?"
Kinto looked at him with a deadpan stare.
(Technically… we are. You're all just too daft to know that.)
Hendrickson's robotic arm crackled with violent lightning as he charged an enormous attack.
"Get ready, kid! You're about to learn what power really is!"
Runo vs. Jiro — Lightning City Clash
Meanwhile, Jiro was relentlessly firing lightning circles at Runo, opening dozens of them in the air. Lightning rained down at frightening speed, each bolt strong enough to level entire rows of buildings.
Runo sprinted through the ruined streets, dodging the attacks with incredible agility. As she moved, she summoned her railgun and fired streams of electricity to counter Jiro's blasts. Whenever the two energies clashed, massive explosions erupted, wiping out countless structures.
Jiro called out while attacking:
"I'm surprised you can carry a railgun that heavy while dodging my attacks! Honestly, I should let you drop it—I can't have you moving faster than you already are. Anyone who can dodge lightning must be extremely fast."
Runo smirked. "Oh well, you're right. These weapons are holding me back."
She dropped the railgun.
Immediately, Jiro opened her mouth—firing a massive concentrated lightning beam far stronger than anything she had used before.
As the attack rushed toward her, Runo summoned a katana out of electricity and dashed forward. With one swift swing, she sliced through the lightning. The redirected beam shot far into the horizon, detonating on a deserted island and vaporizing it in seconds.
Jiro froze in shock.
"What the—?! You cut through my lightning… with just a sword!? How is that possible!?"
Runo replied calmly:
"Back when I was still a C-ranker, I went on missions my friends couldn't. That's why I didn't participate in the assassination exams three years ago. I was always on missions… and I'd kill anyone on sight if I needed to."
Runo lifted the blade, her expression cold.
"I don't like fighting much. And I don't put a lot of effort into it. But since you don't hold back… I guess I have no choice."
She dashed forward, moving so fast that buildings were sliced apart just from her passing by. Jiro panicked, firing lightning rapidly while dodging backward.
The battle grew more violent by the second.
Raquel vs. Mitsuri — Abandoned City
As Raquel walked through the empty city, she spotted a girl with long yellow hair standing gracefully in the middle of the street.
"You must be from the City, right?" the girl said with a bright smile. "My name is Mitsuri, and I'll be facing you."
Raquel stopped, taking one step back. "Yeah… nice to meet you too."
She crystallized her arms—sharp, durable, and shining with a white glow. She thought to herself:
"This girl may look friendly… but she's dangerously strong. Her energy level is extremely high. I have to keep my distance and attack safely."
Mitsuri tilted her head.
"What's wrong? You okay?"
Her expression twisted into an unhinged grin as she powered up a massive surge of lightning.
"Are you shocked? Or scared you'll lose? Either way— I'm going to beat the daylight out of you!"
Raquel didn't flinch.
"I'll play your game. But I'll warn you—I'm not going down easily."
She clenched her crystallized fists and whispered in her thoughts:
"Alex… look at me, okay?"
END OF CHAPTER