Vengeance Denied
Levin's condition was dire.
His clothes were torn and charred to rags, with deep gashes on his shoulder and thigh.
Blood poured from the wounds.
"Hah! Hah!"
Levin gasped for breath as he glared at the man.
The man's state was even worse than Levin's.
He had far more deep wounds and had lost much more blood. Yet he was laughing.
His face, giggling as if he couldn't contain his glee at the situation, filled any onlooker with dread.
"Hee hee! What a fun ability. Ghostification plus lightning skills? If word gets out, you'll end up locked in a lab like a lab rat."
"You too? Were you locked up in a lab?"
"Heh heh! Does that answer your question? I didn't cut off my own perfectly good hand on a whim."
The man waved his mechanical hand.
The prosthetic, having unleashed powerful electric energy multiple times, was mangled and rattling. Still, the man laughed as if it were the funniest thing.
"So you escaped the lab and started slaughtering people?"
"Heh heh! They need to feel the pain I did."
"You bastard! Is that your excuse?"
"Why not?"
"My mom and sister died for that pathetic reason?"
"Heh heh! Kid! This world's full of people dying for even shittier reasons. How long you gonna throw tantrums? Humans are supposed to grow up and leave their parents someday. I just sped that up a bit."
"I'll kill you. I swear it."
"Now you look like a man."
"Fuck!"
Suddenly, intense light erupted from Levin's entire body.
"Oh? A rank-up?"
The man recognized the phenomenon that occurred when an Awakener's rank rose.
His mind-blanking rage had propelled Levin from E-rank to D-rank.
Bzzt!
Levin, in ghostified form, unleashed purple lightning.
Floating in the air, his gaze locked on the man.
"Die!"
In an instant, violet chain lightning burst from his body.
The electric net engulfed the man in a flash.
"Hee hee!"
The man retreated, swinging his sword with its dangling silver chain.
No more current flowed through the sword or chain now that the prosthetic was wrecked. He didn't care.
It was an acquired ability anyway.
He knew how to kill without electricity.
Levin's ghostification was impressive.
Turning the human body intangible—most physical attacks couldn't touch it.
But Levin's execution of it was lacking.
Even after ranking up, he couldn't fully control his power.
Thus, even while ghostified, his body occasionally materialized. The lapses were brief, but ample for the man.
He targeted those split-second vulnerabilities.
Stab!
The dagger plunged deep into Levin's side.
Levin's face twisted in agony. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the embedded blade with his hand.
The man sneered at him.
"Saw that, right? One side's serrated like a saw. Won't come out till it rips your flesh free. Hot, huh?"
Levin glared back with bloodshot eyes, saying nothing.
"Forged from flame crocodile bone. Burns like hell."
"Who's pulling it out?"
"What?"
"Just got my hands on it—why pull?"
Levin bared bloodied teeth in a grin.
"You little shit!"
A chill raced up the man's spine.
Only then did he realize: Levin hadn't slipped up from inexperience. He'd baited him deliberately.
"Lured me in?"
"Damn right, you bastard!"
Levin roared, unleashing full-power chain lightning.
The purple current surged along the silver chain into the man.
Before he could react.
The massive voltage piercing his body left him convulsing, unable to even scream.
Pop! Pop-pop!
Flesh burst in spots as the current ravaged him; the mechanical arm shattered completely.
Levin poured everything into killing him.
"Hah!"
Moments later, Levin collapsed to his knees, drained.
His ghostification had ended, body solid again.
With bloodshot eyes, he stared at the man.
The man was charred like burnt meat.
His head was gone, incinerated without trace; skin melted beyond recognition.
Yet he lived.
Breaths ragged, on death's door, but alive—glaring at Levin with undiminished malice.
Even wrecked and dying, his killing intent didn't waver.
It was chilling.
Levin wondered what kind of life forged such hatred.
"Still... I won."
Levin staggered to his feet.
He couldn't stand those eyes anymore.
He yanked the dagger from his side.
Rip!
Flesh tore free as it came out.
Dizzying pain blurred his vision, but he clung to consciousness.
"You need to feel it. The pain my mom, my sister, everyone else felt..."
"Kuh... heh! Fuck you!"
The man rasped through phlegm.
Levin stabbed his thigh.
Thud!
The man's body jerked violently.
Electrocuted head to toe, yet pain receptors endured.
Levin pulled the dagger free.
Crunch!
Flesh ripped with a gruesome sound.
It had to hurt.
Yet the man screamed not—instead, grinning as if to say, bring it.
"Bastard! You're not worth the air you breathe."
Levin jammed the dagger into the man's shoulder, twisting side to side.
The serrated edge widened the gash.
He pulled it out and looked.
Flesh clung to the teeth—his own mixed in.
Nausea welled.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Fuck!"
Levin raised the dagger to the man's throat.
Time to end it.
The man grinned like he'd been waiting.
"Only killers... do that. Soft punks like you... can't hurt others."
"What's your name?"
"Gonna remember it?"
"Yeah. I'll etch it in forever."
"Heh heh! Funny kid. Tough luck—I never had one."
"Fine. I'll remember you as 'you bastard'."
"Not bad. 'You Bastard' it is. Nice to get a name right before dying. Heh heh!"
Levin couldn't stomach the laughter anymore. He thrust hard.
Bang!
But someone blocked it.
The explosive impact flung Levin's dagger hand back.
His arm snapped, dangling broken.
"Kuh!"
Tumbling away, Levin clutched his forearm.
A child-sized arrow pierced it.
Someone had shot to stop him.
Clutching his arm, Levin screamed.
"Who the fuck are you?!"
"Sorry, kid, but he can't die yet."
The archer appeared.
A woman in an ankle-length Barbour coat and derby hat.
Hat pulled low, face shadowed, but her voice marked her female.
Levin raged.
"You in on this with the bastard?!"
"That's an insult, kid!"
"You wanna know real insult? Stopping rightful revenge."
"Sorry about that. But we have no choice. He's key evidence. And you'll come with us too, kid."
"What?"
"Your rare ability's dangerous. We'll protect you."
"Fuck that! Who protects who?!"
"Why can't humans be rational? Always so emotional. Think logically—you know I'm right."
She sighed, shaking her head.
A dozen similarly dressed women emerged behind her.
She commanded them.
"Take them both."
"Yes!"
The women advanced on Levin.
"Raaah!"
Levin squeezed out his last strength like wringing a rag. It was feeble.
Thud-thud-thud!
Merciless fists rained down.
Slender builds belied their power.
Clang!
A temple strike blacked out Levin's mind.
One woman caught his limp body.
The leader murmured.
"Mission success, plus a rare Awakener bonus. Queen'll love it. Human's a snag, but brainwashing should make him usable."
"Queen—you mean the North District's Ice Queen?"
A low voice cut in.
Chill prickled her skin.
'When?'
She hadn't sensed the approach until the voice was at her back.
One attack, and she'd have been done.
She whirled.
A tall, handsome man and a girl in a conical hat.
'Not one—two?'
Two fooling her senses deepened her shock.
Composing herself, she said coolly.
"Didn't expect more guests. South District? Central?"
"Local."
"Slum... dweller?"
"Yep."
Zeon answered calmly.
Beside him was Briel in her conical hat.
"Levin!"
Briel's gaze fixed on Levin, slung over the woman's shoulder like luggage.
He lay motionless, unconscious.
Her eyes sharpened beneath the hat brim.
They hadn't shared deep secrets, but he was one of the few humans she could talk to easily.
Now battered and on the verge of abduction.
A little later, and he'd have vanished without trace.
Briel knew slum disappearances meant death.
She spoke.
"Levin. Put him down."
"..."
No reply from the women.
Zeon addressed the apparent leader gently.
"Levin's family. Hand him over."
"Can't. He's a rare Awakener. Raise him right, he'll be a powerhouse."
"Without his consent?"
"Don't need it. Or yours."
"That's a shame."
"Mine too. Didn't want trouble."
She pulled her derby low.
Hiding her face signaled shame.
Zeon muttered.
'Maybe that's why everyone wears masks.'
The leader commanded.
"Subdue without killing. Take them too."