Two mysterious figures stood on a nearby ridge.
'Your purple pet is truly pathetic. It didn't last a second before getting torn to shreds.'
'DAMN IT... THAT BRAT...'
The man's veins bulged, his face twisted in a mask of fury. He stared at Pip from afar, grinding his teeth with a grating, chilling sound.
'Calm down. We still have tasks to finish at headquarters.'
'I'LL KILL THAT KID! THAT WAS A YEAR'S WORTH OF RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION I WAS SO PROUD OF!'
With that, he dropped his center of gravity, eyes locked onto his target. WHOOSH—he vanished like a projectile, leaving only a lingering afterimage.
'Tch, what a hotheaded fool.'
The other figure sighed and followed suit. Just as Pip was raising his hands in celebration, a deafening BOOM echoed. A massive shockwave kicked up a cloud of debris. Pip instinctively shielded his face, bracing himself against the crushing pressure. He grit his teeth, eyes narrowing.
'Another monster?' Pip whispered.
The dust didn't settle; instead, it grew thicker, suffocating the air around him. Pip stood his ground, gasping for breath, his muscles tensed and strained under the immense pressure the stranger radiated. The ground beneath his feet began to fracture, unable to bear the weight of the intruder's presence.
'What the hell is this? I can sense... it's not a monster... it's a human...?' Pip thought, his mind reeling.
From the heart of the crater, a figure slowly emerged. He wasn't towering like the monster, but the killing intent he exuded was enough to make both Pip and Kael tremble where they stood. As the dust cleared, a man of average height appeared, wearing a pristine white glove. His eyes were blood-red, fixed intensely on Pip, with thick veins pulsing on his forehead. He strolled toward the remains of the purple creature, his gaze raking over the carcass before hardening. He turned to Pip.
'I poured so much effort into that thing. A whole year... nothing but research and experiments!'
He stomped his foot against the earth, a surge of crimson mana radiating from the fissures, creeping toward Pip, forcing him into a defensive stance. SLASH!
A dull, visceral sound echoed, followed by a spray of hot, crimson fluid. Kael stared at Pip in a panic.
'PIPPPP!'
Pip's breath grew labored, his vision blurring. He struggled to find his voice.
'Who... are you?'
'Ha! You're dying, and you're still worried about who I am? Fine. I'll grant you that as a final mercy. I am Kales, a former member of the Temple Envoys.'
He tugged at the collar of his white uniform, pulling it down to reveal a mark that left both Pip and Kael stunned. The number burned into his skin was clear: Number 5.
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'No way... he's... Number 5?' Pip coughed up blood, his heart gripped by a mixture of shock and impending dread.
'THAT'S RIGHT! HAHA! SURPRISED? I was exiled because my experiments claimed hundreds of lives. But the one I despise most isn't you... it's that bitch Arisa! She stole my glory!'
Kales lunged at Pip like a starved beast.
'That's enough, Kales.'
A voice, deep as the abyss, resonated through the air. Kales halted and looked back.
'Tch... Lord Zelus? Why call me back? I still have business to finish.'
'RETURN. AT. ONCE.'
Zelus's commanding tone vibrated from the small creature held by Kales's companion. Kales turned pale, his manic demeanor instantly replaced by cowering obedience.
'Y-yes, Lord Zelus. I'm coming back immediately.'
He turned to glare at Pip, grinding his teeth.
'Lucky for you, kid.'
Kales and his companion turned and retreated. Kael rushed to Pip's side.
'Pip! Hang in there! I'll get you out of here!'
Ellarish, still on Kael's back, began to stir, looking around in a daze.
'Where... are we?'
But as she caught sight of Pip's mangled form—especially the deep, jagged puncture wound from Kales's claw—her eyes hardened. She frowned.
'The wound is too deep... But I can cryo-seal it for now.'
She extended her hand. A wave of chilling blue mana merged with a soft, warm green glow, pouring into Pip's body. The gruesome wound began to freeze over, the bleeding stopped, and the emerald mana wove its way inside, tenderly mending his shredded internal organs.
Pip slowly opened his eyes, his breathing shallow and dry.
'Ugh...'
'Pip! You're awake!' Kael cheered, his hand trembling with relief as he rested it on Pip's shoulder.
Pip scanned his surroundings with weary, bloodshot eyes. He grew silent, his gaze dimming into an unfathomable abyss. He let his body go limp, sinking back onto the cold ground, drained of all will to fight.
'Ah... lost again...' Pip muttered, his voice brittle.
'What are you saying?' Kael leaned down urgently. 'We're alive, that's already—'
'It's not about living or dying,' Pip cut him off, staring blankly at the gray, oppressive sky. 'It's about the gap.'
His expression darkened as he grit his teeth.
'He's Number 5... the power gap is just too massive. We lack everything—strength, speed...'
Hearing the mention of 'Number 5,' Ellarish froze. She stopped the healing mana and looked at Pip with a sorrowful gaze.
'Number 5...?'
'He's a former Number 5... is something wrong, Ellarish?' Pip asked, noting her sudden distress.
'Did he say anything else?' she asked, her voice icy.
'Ah, he mentioned he hated the person currently holding the Number 5 rank... Arisa, I think? He said he wanted to kill her.' Pip answered honestly.
Ellarish's eyes widened in sheer shock, her body frozen in place. Her shoulders trembled slightly. Not a single tear fell, not a scream escaped her lips; she merely clenched her fists until her knuckles turned ghostly white, and tiny, needle-like ice crystals began to crystallize around her wrists.
In her mind, time seemed to reverse. Memories flooded back like a relentless tide: Arisa's radiant smile beneath the afternoon sun, the warmth of her sister's hand gripping hers amidst a field of blooming snow, and the whispered promise of a future where they would no longer have to run. All those beautiful fragments of the past stood in cruel contrast to the harsh reality, where her sister was now being hunted by a madman like Kales.
She fell into a long, heavy silence, causing the temperature of the air around them to plummet. Pip and Kael held their breath, feeling the intense, turbulent mana pulsing continuously through the veins of the small girl. After a long moment, she finally spoke. Her voice was steady, yet carried a raw, hoarse edge.
'Sister...'
Kales had barely stepped into the headquarters when Zelus summoned him. Without a word, he dropped to his knees, his body trembling in practiced submission.
'Lord Zelus... have you summoned me for a task?'
'Hmm...'
Zelus lazily pointed a finger toward him. In an instant, a spectral force—a phantom—erupted from his fingertip, striking Kales with such blistering, unnatural speed that he stood no chance of defense. 'SLASH'—a spray of hot, crimson blood erupted from Kales's mouth as he collapsed in agony.
'Did I not command you to keep a cold, disciplined head at all times...?'
'My Liege, I beg your forgiveness... I will not dare to fail you again...' Kales stammered, cowering against the floor.
'Begone.'
Forced to retreat, Kales scrambled out. Zelus remained on his throne, his golden eyes glowing with a sharp, predatory intensity, tracking every move of the broken man until he vanished.