---

“I’m sorry… I never expected this kind of ending…”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

Two men walk straight towards each other.

“Nova, I’ve heard about you. Your unique ability is Copy, allowing you to replicate others’ techniques as your own.”

At that moment, Nova suddenly aimed his gun at Ned.

“Shut up, stalker.”

Bang!

“Huh!”

In the blink of an eye, Ned dodged the metal bullet with extraordinary reflexes.

‘So fast, it’s definitely the realm of a master.’

The gun was merely a decoy to close the distance; Nova’s feet were already on the ground.

“I’ll end this in close combat.”

The boy’s dagger fiercely lunged at the man. In response, Ned also drew out the dagger he’d hidden in his clothes.

“I won’t give you a chance to pull any pointless tricks.”

“Sounds good… Come at me!”

Right there, a glorious blade clash began.

A melee clash of blades.

The speed of the two men entered the realm of the superhuman.

“I’ll rip your intestines out.”

“Hahaha! This is fun! Do it more!”

The organization members around them were also too afraid to move.

Serena tried to provide support, but—

“Ugh!”

‘The distance between them is too close and their movements too fast.’

However, Serena wasn’t one to sit idly by; she raised her staff and focused her concentration.

‘What I can do is attack him the moment they create even a little distance.’

With that thought, Serena was watching for her chance.

Clang clang clang!

Even amidst the fierce clashing of blades, Ned was calmly assessing the situation.

“That annoying ability of yours is still giving me trouble; it’s tracking all my movements.”

‘He’s prepared to shoot magical bullets from all directions the moment they separate. Impressive.’

Nova was also looking for an opportunity. Normally, he would have drawn the battle to a ranged fight using his gun, but he insisted on close combat to not give Serena any chance to intervene.

‘This isn’t the original plan, but Serena’s participation isn’t bad either.’

Copying the opponent’s ability, combining it with his insight to make a preemptive move, but even that wasn’t enough to face Ned.

The higher the ability stats, the greater the burden on the body, and they weren’t on equal footing.

“Don’t hold on; die right now.”

“Hahaha! Incredible, I’m getting even faster!”

Yet, in the fundamental struggle of strength and speed, Nova began to fall behind.

He could no longer suppress their movements.

‘I’ve felt it before, but how is this a mage?’

No, he cast aside those thoughts. Focus on the enemy right before him.

At that moment, Nova’s red eyes contracted.

His highly tuned insight finally reached a plateau.

Even as the dagger flew towards him from only a few centimeters away, Nova didn’t blink.

‘Not yet. Wait.’

Seeing that, his opponent’s expression stiffened.

‘Could it be… he’s reached the zone?’

Nova pulled the blade back to its limits.

Swoosh!

He dodged the incoming dagger.

Swoosh!

The dagger sliced through the hem of his garment.

Swoosh!

The hood was stripped away, and the tips of his hair were cut, fluttering in the air.

Swoosh!

Finally, the dagger lightly grazed Nova’s face.

A red line appeared as a drop of blood dripped down his face.

Ignoring the wound, he was waiting for his chance.

‘Just a bit more, I need to finish this… now!’

Immediately afterwards, Nova’s body accelerated in one swift motion.

“…? Ugh!!”

The pressed dagger shifted the scale of their battle in an instant.

‘What kind of pressure is this…! My guard was shattered.’

Nova’s lethal slash penetrated deep inside.

Ned failed to evade fully, even while stepping back.

“Go to hell, you bastard.”

Slashing sound.

The dagger cut deeply from Ned’s right shoulder to his left side.

“Cough… Ugh… Incredible! Really impressive.”

“Serena!”

The moment Ned retreated, space opened up between them.

As if she had been waiting for that moment, Serena fired a magical bullet.

Boom boom boom!

The approaching magical bullet flew straight at him and struck directly.

With a tremendous explosion, the surrounding area was engulfed in black smoke.

In the smog-filled space, Nova stared intently, preparing himself.

‘I definitely felt the thrill.’

It was undoubtedly a fatal blow that could easily cost a life—a perfect hit.

As the smoke cleared, a black cocoon appeared.

“Is that… a cocoon?”

The black cocoon, large enough to encompass a person, writhed and then shed its shell, revealing an unharmed Ned inside.

“…You’ve certainly made a clean cut. I’m impressed.”

‘The earlier bullet wound and just now’s slash… the recovery is slow.’

In his original state, wounds like those should heal rapidly.

Questioning that aspect, Ned carefully examined Nova’s dagger.

“That dagger… was made from Kaiyum, right?”

“That’s right; Kaiyum drains life force. If it makes contact, your organization’s renowned recovery will be rendered useless.”

“Annoying… So you had that intel too. Your information network is no joke.”

Sighing, Ned continued to whisper to him as if trying to persuade him.

“You’re too good to kill off like this… How about joining our organization?”

“Don’t make me say it multiple times; there won’t be such an occasion even if the heavens split apart.”

“Hmm… Should I have killed you back then? I’ve created a monster.”

Seven years have passed since then, and despite not being an adult yet, he exhibited this level of combat prowess.

No matter how much he had grown, the speed of that growth was truly incomprehensible.

Of course, unaware of the existence of “Ability Copy”—which allows him to fight on equal ground for a short time—Ned could only be astonished.

‘At this level, it might take at least three of our executives to barely handle him.’

“I guess I’ll have to deal with you here and now.”

“Let’s see just how far that relaxed expression can take you.”

Yet Nova wasn’t as composed.

‘The time left for Ability Copy is running out.’

Moreover, the greater the ability, the more unimaginable the burden on his body.

Thinking it wasn’t good to drag out time like this, Nova pondered his next move.

‘What are those black tentacles? What’s the range and strength? Is it a unique ability?’

As he considered this, Ned grinned.

‘He’s growing mid-battle, and at an absurd rate.’

If left unchecked, he’ll become an uncontrollable monster.

Judging this, Ned opened his mouth.

“You can glare all you want, but will it change anything? The fact remains, you’re going to die—both you and your friend over there… just like your former companions.”

That remark was about Nova’s former allies.

He dug into the weaknesses of others, shaking them at their very core.

It was one of his favorite tactics.

“You’re weak, that’s why you couldn’t save your friend who was kidnapped back then. When your comrades were dying, what were you doing? Just running away like a coward?”

“…”

Seeing Nova’s expression turn blank, Serena spoke gently.

“Nova, you don’t need to listen to him.”

“What a good choice it was to leave behind those pathetic companions. If you associate with such trash, you’re bound to be treated like trash too~”

With a thin smile, he touched on his opponent’s raw nerve, ensnaring him in rage.

Everyone could tell that it was merely an act to shatter his composure.

Yet—

“Shut your mouth…”

“Huh~?”

“I’ll kill you, you bastard.”

Hearing the insults directed at his friends, Nova’s remaining sense snapped.

He charged at Ned, abandoning the use of guns or magic, fully consumed by rage.

“I’ll chop you up and feed you to the fish.”

“Wait! Nova, hold on!!”

Despite Serena’s warnings, Nova had already closed the distance to Ned.

“Ugh, you can’t get too excited~ your movements are too predictable!”

Ned deftly dodged Nova’s attack.

Following that, he retaliated with a horizontal slash aimed at Nova’s face.

“Ugh!”

Nova barely regained his composure just in time, but it was still a moment too late.

The incoming dagger barely missed his tilt of the head.

Drip.

“Not bad for a guy, huh?”

Nova’s left eye was cut, a straight line running down to his chest.

Seeing that, Serena’s expression darkened.

“Nova!”

‘That last attack was way too dangerous!’

“Oh dear~ Did I scrape near your eye?”

Blood blocked Nova’s vision, and on top of that, his unique ability became unusable…

“…Shut up, I only need one eye to take you out.”

A faint smile appeared on Ned’s face.

“I’m sorry~ My specialty is stabbing at people’s weaknesses.”

Nova’s face bore the complex blend of fury and calm.

“Shut up, pervert. You’re going to die. Even if it costs me my life.”

 

---