BOOOOOOM!!!
Another crater exploded across the beach.
Before I could reposition—
A crimson blur intercepted Anna mid-charge.
Marie slammed into her sister in midair.
"Enough!!"
The two of them crashed violently through the jungle together, tearing through trees like cannonballs as shockwaves erupted across the island.
Branches, dirt, and shattered trunks exploded everywhere.
A second later, the sisters separated violently.
Marie skidded roughly across the sand before catching herself on one knee.
Under the moonlight, her blood-red eyes glowed ominously while elongated fangs protruded slightly from her lips.
Anna stared at her in visible shock.
"…What the hell did he turn you into?"
Marie wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth before glaring back at her sister.
"He didn't turn me into anything…" she hissed angrily. "Stop blamin' him for everythin'!"
Anna's expression darkened immediately.
"You sound just like somebody under a damn spell," she said furiously. "Looks like Ah was right… only after killin' him will the two of us finally be free."
"Arrgghh! No! Ah won't let ya hurt him anymore!"
Marie launched herself forward again.
Unlike Anna's overwhelmingly destructive fighting style, Marie fought with vicious ferocity.
Claws.
Speed.
Predatory aggression.
She moved more like a wild hunter pouncing on prey, her glowing red eyes shining dangerously in the darkness.
But Anna wasn't prey.
Not even close.
Marie's attacks slammed into her repeatedly, claws tearing through the air fast enough to leave red streaks behind—
Yet none of it truly affected Anna.
The blows didn't even break her skin.
Then Anna stopped simply tanking the attacks and instantly caught Marie's wrist mid-strike.
"Don't!" I shouted.
I had already been preparing to intervene, and the moment Anna grabbed her, I erected a forcefield around Marie instantly.
But Anna whipped Marie away in blind anger as if she weighed nothing more than trash.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The forcefield shattered apart as Marie was hurled straight through an entire rock formation.
My heartbeat stopped.
Electricity burst around my body as I immediately zipped toward her location.
"Marie?!"
Dust slowly settled across the shattered stone.
Then I saw her body lying amidst the debris.
Logically, I knew she should survive.
Especially in her current vampire state.
But even knowing that, seeing her hurt like that still felt like someone had shoved a knife straight through my chest.
Back on the beach, Anna stared blankly at her own hand.
"…Ah…"
For the first time since arriving on this island—
She looked horrified.
"You…" she muttered before slowly looking up at me, her green eyes beginning to darken unnaturally. "It's all your fault…"
I clenched my jaw.
I didn't have time to properly heal Marie right now.
In her vampire form, the fastest way to restore her condition would be blood.
But judging by the murderous look on Anna's face, she clearly wasn't planning on giving me even a second to breathe.
I did have one possible option left.
The problem was that the power was unreliable as hell.
Most of the time I couldn't even activate it intentionally—
Before the thought could fully form in my head, Anna shot toward me again.
This time she was even faster than before.
I instantly opened four portals.
She predicted all of them.
I layered forcefields across her path.
She shattered through every single one.
I even tried using both Psychokinesis and Divine Telekinesis on her simultaneously, attempting to distort her movement and slow her momentum—
But it barely affected her at all.
It was like trying to stop a missile with spiderwebs.
I moved backward rapidly, electricity exploding beneath my feet as I desperately widened the distance between us.
But deep down I already knew.
She was going to reach me in the next instant.
"You ain't escapin' this time."
Anna's fist tightened as she came straight at me, enough force packed behind the punch to probably split the island apart.
And then—
It happened.
My entire mind suddenly accelerated beyond normal limits.
The world around me slowed to a crawl.
No…
It felt more like my own brain had gone into complete overdrive.
My heartbeat thundered violently inside my ears as every nerve in my body lit up at once.
I could see Anna in front of me moving in slow motion, her hair and clothes drifting unnaturally through the air as she closed the distance toward me.
Her eyes had changed.
The green in them was slowly being swallowed by darkness.
Even her pupils were beginning to turn black.
But more importantly—
I immediately recognized what was happening to me.
Bullet Time.
The effect of the skill Overclocking.
One of the abilities granted by my Peak Human trait.
A power I had never successfully activated before.
Nevertheless, with this newfound window of time, I immediately attempted to activate the other power I had been desperately trying to use.
I slowly raised my hand as the Bullet Time effect began fading.
Anna's fist resumed its terrifying speed as it shot toward me—
And missed.
Not because she aimed wrong.
Not because I dodged.
It simply…
slid away.
Anna blinked in confusion.
"What?"
Her fist curved unnaturally past my outstretched hand.
The air around my body distorted strangely, like invisible ripples were bending reality itself.
Anna attacked again immediately, this time throwing a punch directly at my face.
The exact same thing happened.
Her fist curved past my body unnaturally at the final moment.
This time the redirected shockwave veered sideways and obliterated a section of the ocean instead.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive wall of water erupted upward into the night sky.
Anna stared at me in stunned confusion.
Meanwhile, I slowly descended back onto the beach.
And for the first time since this fight had started—
I stopped moving.
The sand around my feet began floating slightly into the air.
Lightning bent unnaturally around my body, curving away before it could properly touch me.
Even the wind itself seemed distorted.
Anna attacked again.
A full-speed charge.
And the moment she reached me—
Her momentum collapsed.
It was like reality itself refused to let her touch me.
"What the hell…?" she whispered.
I looked down at my own trembling hands.
The power felt unstable.
Incomplete.
But active.
Personal Anti-Force.
The ability to nullify any force acting upon me.
I had possessed this power for a long time already, but controlling it properly had always been nearly impossible.
Even now, I could barely maintain it.
Anna immediately tried grabbing me directly.
Her fingers slid away from my suit like opposing magnets repelling one another.
Pure disbelief spread across her face.
"That's impossible…"
I stared back at her silently beneath my golden mask.
Outwardly, I remained calm.
Internally, however, I could already feel the power beginning to destabilize.
The moment Anna's fingers pressed against the invisible distortion surrounding my body, I felt immense pressure pushing against my control.
If she threw another full-force punch right now, there was a very real chance I wouldn't be able to hold it back.
And then my bluff would immediately collapse.
Thankfully, Anna didn't attack again immediately.
The sheer impossibility of what had just happened had forced her to a stop.
And somehow, this short yet incredibly dangerous fight finally came to a halt.
Only the crashing waves of the ocean remained.
I ignored the bewildered Anna — whose eyes had slowly shifted back from black to green — and looked toward the side.
Marie had managed to stand back up and was slowly approaching us while holding her injured side.
"Marie… Ah-I'm sorry…" Anna muttered quietly. "Ah lost control…"
She instinctively took a step toward her sister, even reaching out her hand slightly, before stopping midway.
"Anna…" Marie said softly. "Why are ya really doin' this?"
There was no anger in her voice.
Only concern.
"That…" Anna looked suddenly uncomfortable as she shot me a conflicted look.
Then she looked back at Marie.
And finally exploded emotionally.
"Because Ah see him every damn night!" she shouted. "Every night Ah dream about him touchin' me… kissin' me… doin' things ta me!"
Marie's eyes widened in shock.
"And Ah can't get him outta mah head!" Anna continued furiously. "Ah wake up every mornin' all hot and bothered because Ah know none of it's real!"
She stomped the ground angrily, creating a deep pit in the sand as the surrounding beach trembled slightly.
"This bastard not only stole mah first kiss, but he's also put me under some kinda dark spell!!" Anna accused while pointing directly at me.
Marie immediately turned to look at me.
And despite the fact that my face was completely hidden beneath my golden mask, I still managed to perfectly play the role of a clueless bystander who had absolutely no idea what Anna was talking about.
"Is… is it possible that ya just have a crush on him?" Marie asked carefully while looking at her sister.
"What nonsense are ya spoutin'?!" Anna yelled immediately, her face turning visibly red.
"I mean…" Marie said awkwardly, "ya did say he stole yer first kiss. So maybe it ain't that strange that ya started dreamin' about him afterward…"
"No! No, no, no!! Ah don't even know him!" Anna shouted while shaking her head furiously. "The last time we met, we fought! Then Ah saw his face and he kissed me, that's all!"
"Can ya take off yer mask?" Marie suddenly asked as she walked over to my side.
I wasn't entirely sure what she was planning, but I did as she asked.
Besides, Anna had already seen my face before.
And judging by her complete lack of recognition back then, it was obvious she had no idea who Lucas Watson actually was.
The golden mask dissolved away from my face.
"Look at him," Marie said softly as she cupped my cheeks with both hands. "Look how handsome this face is."
"Huh?"
Anna instinctively glanced at me—
Then unexpectedly looked away a second later.
"To be honest…" Marie continued with a small wry smile, "Ah'm pretty sure plenty of girls would end up dreamin' about him after seein' this face just once. Heck, even Ah used ta dream about him all the time before we got together."
"You-You really did put mah sister under some kinda damn spell too!" Anna accused while pointing at me again, her body trembling angrily.
"No," Marie answered loudly.
Anna froze.
Marie turned toward me again.
The moment she looked into my eyes, her entire expression softened.
"He didn't force me into anythin'," she said gently while wrapping her arms around my neck. "From the moment we met, he's done nothin' but show kindness ta me…"
Her voice softened further.
"He brought color back inta the life of a lonely girl like me…"
Then she smiled faintly.
"And honestly… Ah'm pretty sure Ah was the one who hopelessly fell for him right from the start."
"Maybe he did somethin' ta ya without ya knowin', sugah… just like he did with me," Anna said bitterly.
"No… it ain't some spell," Marie replied softly as she looked up at me. "Ah just love him. Plain and simple."
Then she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed me.
At the same time, she subtly whispered for me to activate my powers.
Understanding what she meant immediately, I did exactly that.
My arms wrapped around her waist automatically while my hands slid lower, lifting her up by her butt as I deepened the kiss.
Anna's eyes widened.
For a moment, all the rage on her face completely shattered apart.
What replaced it looked painfully human.
Jealousy.
Confusion.
And… Arousal.
"No…"
She took a shaky step backward.
Marie slowly pulled away from the kiss while still holding onto me protectively.
"Anna… after Ah awakened these powers, Ah finally started ta understand what ya felt back then," Marie said softly while staring down at her own hands. "Ah still don't understand everythin' ya went through… Ah can't even imagine how hard these past years must've been fer ya…"
Her expression turned melancholic.
"But Ah could at least feel a little bit of how lonely ya must've been… livin' all these years without ever experiencin' another person's warm touch."
Then she looked back at me with gentle eyes.
"And honestly… Ah probably would've ended up the same way…"
Her grip around me tightened slightly.
"…if not for him."
"Marie…" Anna muttered quietly, her expression turning deeply conflicted.
"These dreams of yours might actually be a sign, sister…" Marie said softly as she slowly let go of me and began walking toward Anna. "Maybe… maybe deep down ya also crave human touch."
Anna's expression trembled slightly.
"So why not just accept that?" Marie continued carefully. "And… and come back with us."
She hesitated briefly before gathering her courage.
"W-We could stay together in the same house… just the three of us. We could finally live freely without havin' ta constantly fear hurtin' people because of our powers."
"Together?" Anna looked up at her in alarm.
"Yes… why not?" Marie asked gently as she extended her hand toward her sister. "We're family."
A sad smile appeared on her face.
"We've stayed apart from each other fer way too long. Ah kept hopin' someday ya would finally come back ta me… but even after we reunited, we just fought again and then ya disappeared…"
"You could've come with me…" Anna muttered quietly.
"And you could've stayed," Marie argued back softly.
A brief silence fell between them.
The sound of crashing waves echoed across the island.
Marie slowly took another step forward.
"Ah… Ah miss those days back in the village," she admitted quietly. "Ah miss talkin' with ya… Ah miss playin' with ya…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Ah miss you, sister."
She finally opened both her arms toward Anna.
"Ah've been waitin' fer ya all these years…"
Marie's red eyes softened emotionally beneath the moonlight.
"So… won't ya come back ta me, Anna?"
Anna stared at her silently.
For a brief moment, it genuinely looked like she was about to step forward.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes darkened again.
The green slowly faded into black as she suddenly clutched her head painfully.
"I-I…" Anna staggered backward slightly. "Ah still have mah mamas… Ah can't leave them…"
Before either of us could say another word—
She rocketed into the night sky.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire island shook from the sonic boom.
And just like that…
She was gone.
"No, Anna!" Marie shouted as tears began falling from her eyes.
I quickly walked over and pulled her into a hug.
"Shhh… it's alright," I muttered softly while caressing her back comfortingly.
Honestly, I already had a pretty good idea that Anna's emotional reaction earlier — and even Marie kissing me so openly in front of her — had all likely been amplified by my sexual powers remaining active throughout the entire confrontation.
Even now, despite being injured and emotionally distressed, Marie was subtly rubbing her body against mine while clinging tightly.
It was pretty obvious she was feeling aroused.
Realizing that, I quietly deactivated both my Pheromone Emission and Seductive Voice powers.
"Luke…" Marie sniffled softly while looking up at me with watery eyes. "Why… why does she keep runnin' away from me? Does… does she not love me anymore?"
"No, it's nothing like that," I replied with a small sigh. "There are probably just some bad people taking advantage of your sister right now, that's all."
Especially after hearing her mention those "Mamas" for the second time.
I already had a few suspicions forming in my mind.
"Then… then we gotta help her and bring her back!" Marie said through muffled sobs.
"Don't worry," I said calmly while gently stroking her hair. "I'll definitely bring her back sooner or later."
A faint smirk appeared on my face.
Unknown to anyone, during the final moments of our fight, I had managed to attach a tiny bio-probe onto Anna's body.
Meaning it was only a matter of time before her hideout was exposed.
And even beyond that…
Now that I knew those dreams were affecting Anna this strongly, there was absolutely no way I planned on deactivating them anytime soon.
After all, she had nearly beaten me to death tonight.
I fully intended to collect proper compensation for that later… with interest.
Just as I was about to offer Marie some of my blood so she could recover faster, D.A.I.S.Y.'s urgent voice suddenly rang out through both of our Focus devices.
"You two need to return immediately. The situation over here has become extremely dire."
The faint smirk on my face vanished instantly.
Golden metal rapidly flowed across my face as the mask reformed itself once more.
Golden arcs of lightning crackled across my pupils beneath the mask.
The calm atmosphere on the island disappeared completely.
"…Looks like break time's over," I muttered coldly.
A portal slowly began opening behind me as violent electricity surged around my body.
I had spent this entire fight running from Anna because I couldn't afford to confront her head-on.
But the people waiting for me on that battlefield?
They were a different matter entirely.
"…Maybe it's time the Brotherhood finally learned exactly who Aeon is."