Ian arrived at the car in an instant and ripped open its door. He snapped the seatbelt off of everyone and pulled them out one-by-one. Ian then dragged their bodies away from the truck and laid them flat on the grass with a panic look. Conner ran towards Ian, and he helped check for any life signals in them. Blood leaked from their foreheads with cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Ian pulled his shirt off and immediately treated the wounds on everyone. Bounye licked the wound on Lily as it let out a whimper, and Sir Piggy shook Autumn's body in an attempt to wake her up. Meanwhile, the smoke obscured the men's vision of everyone, and they walked towards the car.
Conner felt their heartbeats and breathed a sigh of relief. "They're passed out."
Ian clenched his fists and said, "I'm going to kill these motherfuckers."
Ian stood up and walked out of the smoke while Conner followed behind him. Ray transformed his arm into a gun and hid in a large bush. He didn't know what kind of abilities they had, so he waited for the right moment to fire.
"That man with greying hair might have the ability to put someone to sleep," Conner warned.
"Go capture them, Baxter." The man pointed at them.
Baxter nodded his head and charged at Ian with full speed. The black lion licked its lips and followed behind Baxter. Ian glared at Baxter with a ferocious look, and Bounye growled as it waited for Ian to attack. Baxter had incredible speed and arrived in front of Ian in mere seconds. He reached his hands out to grab Ian with a sneer.
"Slow," Ian scoffed.
Ian bent his body down before throwing an uppercut at Baxter. His punch landed on Baxter's stomach, and Baxter's body flew like a kite with its string cut. Bounye appeared in front of the black lion and clawed its face as he barked. Just like Baxter, the lion flew backward with blood staining its face. Baxter bounced off the ground many times before rolling to a stop. Dirt and grass covered his body as he slowly got up with coughing fits. He stared at Ian with wide eyes as he wiped his mouth.
"An ability user!" The man with grey hair yelled.
The man fiddled with his status system and sent Ian a duel request.
"What do you say and place a bet between us?" The man asked.
"He's strong, Nelson," Baxter said in worry.
"We still have a good chance at winning," Nelson replied with a calm manner. "He only has strength."
[The Party 'The Killing Duo' has sent your party a duel request. Do you accept?]
[YES/NO]
Ian immediately pressed yes and charged at Baxter once more. The lion roared and blocked Ian from Baxter, but Ian threw a left hook and smashed into its head. Its jaw broke, and the lion painfully cried. Ian wasn't finished, and he grabbed the lion's mane before slamming its head into the ground, creating a small crater. The dust settled, and the lion's body remained motionless on the ground.
"This fucker is dead!" Baxter seethed in rage.
Baxter charged at Ian and threw a punch at him. However, Ian narrowly dodged it and grabbed his hand. Baxter swung his leg at Ian and smashed it against his head. Ian let go in response as his feet slid through the dirt, creating a trail. Baxter seized the opportunity and grabbed Ian in an attempt to slam him down. However, Ian grabbed his shoulder, and both of them clinched together as they try to gain the upper hand over one another. Ian suddenly remembered his training from Ray, and he moved his arm around Baxter's arm before striking his elbow upwards, cutting Baxter's face. Blood poured through his deep cut.
"Ah!" Baxter yelled in pain as he grabbed his face.
Ian swung his leg and struck Baxter's thigh before throwing a punch at his chin. He seized the opportunity to trip Baxter's leg and slam his head into the ground. Just as he was about to finish Baxter off, Ian suddenly felt drowsy. Ian's body swayed as his eyes slowly droop.
"Sleep!" Nelson yelled as he pointed at him.
Sweat dripped down his face as he breathed heavily. Nelson waited for this moment to strike as Ian was distracted by Baxter. He didn't care if Baxter died as a result, but he wanted to get rid of Ian quickly.
"Damn!" Conner yelled. "I have to stop this guy!"
Conner's body rose from the ground and flew towards Nelson. Nelson saw Conner coming with a stunned expression, but he immediately backed away and raised his hand at him.
Nelson gritted his teeth and yelled, "Sleep!"
Conner slammed towards the ground and moaned in pain. Nelson grabbed his head in pain as blood ooze out of his nose. However, he laughed and pulled a knife out of his pocket. Meanwhile, Ian resisted the urge to sleep as he struggled to keep his body up. He bit his tongue to jolt his body awake. Baxter, with a ferocious look, threw a punch at Ian with full strength. Ian stumbled backward as Baxter's fist landed on his face. Baxter didn't stop there and continued to rain down punched on Ian. Ian raised his hands to cover his face in an attempt to block Baxter's punches. Baxter used his forearm to strike Ian's neck and slammed him into the ground.
Ian wrapped his leg around Baxter's neck as he tried to jump on top of him. Baxter used both hands to choke Ian, but Ian used full strength to pull his hands away. Bounye jumped on top of Baxter's back and bit his neck.
"ARGH!" Baxter cried.
He pulled Bounye off of him and slammed him down, but Bounye bit down on his hand in response. Baxter's hand broke from Bounye's crushing bite, and he tried shaking him off. However, Ian pulled him to the ground before mounting on top of Baxter. Ian yelled as he pummeled Baxter's face with his fists. Loud shockwaves echoed as Ian rained down punches on him. With each punch, Baxter's face caved in and deformed; teeth flew out, blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and his bones breaking. Bounye savagely ripped Baxter's flesh with his teeth in rage. After a while, Ian stopped and collapsed on the ground. He stared at Baxter's corpse before a feeling of nausea hit him, and he threw up; It was the first time he killed someone.
Nelson walked towards Conner with staggered steps, "It's unbelievable how limited I can use this ability, but after I kill you all, I can level it up."
As a desperate act, Conner swiped his arm in the air and space distorted towards Nelson. Nelson sensed extreme danger and dodged to the side. However, the flesh was torn from his shoulders, and Nelson grunted in pain. Conner passed out, and Nelson walked towards him with a sneer.
BAM!
The sound barrier broke, and a bullet penetrated Nelson's head before exploding. Ray walked out of the smoke to Nelson's surprise. He couldn't utter a word as his body collapse on the ground. Ray walked towards Conner and pick him up before staring at Nelson's corpse.
"The Butcher of St. Marianne!" Ray looked at him in shock.
[Congratulations to 'Papa Ray's Super Warrior Squad' for winning! 40,000 Souls have been received from 'The Killing Duo'! Souls will now be evenly distributed among party members.]
Ian slowly got up and struggled to walk towards Lily. He sat down and placed her head in his arms. She slowly opened her eyes and winced in pain.
"Lily, don't move," Ian said in worry.
"I-I'm fine. It only hurts a little bit." Lily smiled.
Ian gently embraced her before kissing her lips. However, he couldn't withstand the effects of Nelson's ability and passed out while embracing her.
"Ah-, Ian?" Lily began to panic.
"Don't worry about it, Lily." Ray walked towards her. "The crazy bastard just passed out."
Ray grabbed the radio device from Daniel's pants. "Is anyone there? We need help at the blockade."
Seconds later a voice was heard through the radio. "We're on our way!"