117. Powerless
(…) Lex watched Brad warily. He felt something wrong with him. Then… on his halfway up. "Kuhahahahahahaha!!" Brad laughed madly.
Brad turned toward Lex and Alice, who lay down behind Lex, unconscious. "Arghh! It hurts!!" Brad complained as he stretched his body.
Lex really wanted to beat the shit out of him, yet his instinct kept reminding him not to be careless against him, it was strange, but Lex believed in his intuition. He also had a few suspicions about Brad's condition. So, for now, he is taking a wait-and-see stance.
"You're good," Brad complimented Lex. "Who would expect you're that strong even without Mana, it surprised me, and you are even able to force me out."
(Force him out?) Lex thought a bit. "As expected, you're different," Lex replied warily.
"Oh, you even realized that," Brad said with a slight smile.
(Double personality) Lex thought, then said, "Anyone who saw it will easily find it out."
"Well, you're not wrong. We're a bit too far apart," Brad replied. "Lex, was it?" he asked, to which Lex nodded. "Your hidden card, that inhumane physical abilities were excellent!" He praised Lex once again.
Lex's eyebrows twitched a bit, seeing Brad keep praising him.
"You're good but still not good enough," Brad stated. At the same time, a blood scythe started to form again in his hands.
(!! What is this!?) Lex was shocked. The amount of Mana and control he felt was so different from before. The power and control from back then was only like 10% of this one.
"Let me show you what a hidden card really is," Brad said. Then the blood scythe, which was 3-4 times bigger than before, slowly melted and flowed into Brad's body.
Lex was seriously speechless by what he saw. " A well-hidden card is a card that no one knows. That anyone who sees is no longer left in this world," Brad said. Then his skin slowly became red, and his red pupil became bigger and covered all the white. His hair grows longer than before, glowing with a red hue.
Lex had seen something similar to this before, so he instantly knew what had happened with Brad "you are… an Ethereal Body-type Mana Race!!" Lex exclaimed. From the information he got Brad is a Soul-type Mana Race. From the fight before, Lex also concluded he was a Soul-type. Lex tried his best to keep calm because this kind of misinformation could cost him his life.
"Hahaha," Brad laughed. "This what a real hidden card should be like, once showed it could flip any kind of situation" He charged toward Lex, a frontal charge, a fist without deception.
(Fast!) Lex was accustomed to his speed from before so he miscalculated it a bit unable to dodge. Lex pulled up his arm to block the blow, but…
*Boom
Lex's body was blown away to the wall, causing it to break down and throwing him out of the church.
"Kugh!" Lex let out a pained voice. With his sturdy body, it wasn't a significant injury. He immediately stood up and charged toward Brad. Throwing his attack on Brad, However, Brad stood in place, and didn't care about Lex's attack. Lex increased the power behind that attack realizing his arrogance not to block or evade.
*Bammm *Splashh
The moment Lex punched Brad, his body crumbled into splattered blood. Lex felt like he was beating a bag of blood. It finally came to Lex without Mana. There's no way he could defeat him.
This time, Brad immediately counterattacks with a kick, which Lex could react to and guarded again, yet Lex was blown away again. Lex's strength was on par with Brad's strength from before Lex could win because of his skills and technique, but now Brad assimilated with his Ethereal Body, Lex was on the losing side.
Spirit Race Ethereal Body was known for its strength, the same as Mana Race Ethereal body. Lex now entirely dealing with the fearsome Unknown of the Mana Race.
Lex stood up once again from under the broken wall. He was still confused about Brad's condition. From his knowledge, multiple personalities are like a mental disease that could be fully and easily cured in the Hidden World. He doesn't understand.
"You looked confused," Brad said, slowly walking toward Lex. "You must be thinking about my multiple personalities, no?"
Lex kept calm and didn't show any change on his face to be read by Brad.
"Hahaha, don't be shy. I knew what you were thinking, or more like everyone who I had shown this form thought the same thing as you," Brad said nonchalantly. "I rarely come out to the surface like this. This is a reward for pushing me out to the surface like this"
"…" Lex didn't say anything. But his expression changed a bit, waiting for Brad's answer.
"The answer is… I made it," Brad said shortly. Lex was dumbfounded by the answer (Could something like that be made?) Lex thought secretly.
"Mana was more omnipotent than you think," Brad explained, "the only problem is people's imagination."
"I could access the other personality memories, but they couldn't access mine. So it's the best Hidden Card, no?"
"Just like you at the moment, if I were to show you this kind of power from the beginning, would you wear that Seal on yourself? I might be no match against you when you're in full power but with Mana sealed like this. Pfft, you can't even leave a single injury in me."
Lex gritted his teeth. What Brad said is correct. He underestimated him. That's why he didn't mind sealing his own Mana. Simultaneously, Lex also realized why Vetus Orbis dared to entrust every move in this city to Brad alone.
"There's a saying, 'Deceive yourself before you deceive allies and enemies,' isn't it the best proverb," Brad said, then he laughed creepily. "Even Q conveyed the wrong information."
(No information was better than misinformation) Lex recited it in his heart.
"Now then, enough chit-chat" Brad dashed to Lex again, with a difference in speed and power and the inability to damage him. Even if Lex had the better technique, it was only a matter of time before he fell.
***
"Ugh!" Lex felt pain all over his body. He expected some places are broken. It was hard just to move a finger. He fought a losing battle against Brad. Unknowingly they're already outside on the church lawn. There was nothing he could do anymore, he had already alarmed Crimson Eagle for backup, but Lex also didn't know if they could beat Brad right now. The only one he thought could contest with him at the moment was Rae alone. Lex didn't know the full extent of her power, so he couldn't be so sure that Rae would lose or win.
"Haa~" Brad exhaled comfortably, "it's time to end this."
At that moment *Krss from inside the church, a girl slowly walks out, accidentally pushing the cracked wall down.
Lex and Brad turned to the original voice… it was none other than the fully healed Alice who came out.
Alice felt everything was a dream, but her pain was too real. No… she hoped it was a dream, yet when she woke up inside the devastated church, she knew it was a reality.
She doesn't want to experience it again, so she immediately makes her way out, only to see Lex's miserable state. "L, Lex," she called out fearfully. Once again, she hoped it wasn't real.
"Run! Run away from here!" Lex shouted at her. Alice took a step back fearfully; some parts of her wanted to run away, but others wanted to run to Lex.
"Oh, that's right, you're still here."
Alice immediately felt a chill all over her body. It was the source of her nightmare. Alice slowly turned to see it. "!!?" she felt weak all of a sudden. And immediately turned to run away.
(That's right!) Lex commented on her decision. Then he felt Brad move toward Alice, Lex wanted to chase after him, but his body was unable to move like how he wanted anymore. That's why "Contract!" Lex shouted. But it still didn't stop Brad from catching Alice in his hands.
"Noo!!! Yaaaaa!!!" Alice screamed and struggled.
"Don't move," a single command from Brad. Alice was like a puppet string whose string had been cut and plopped down powerlessly. Brad then turned to Lex again. "Let me give you another gift."
"Brad!!" Lex screamed again.
"Do you remember the pledge the other me make, 'I will never intend to harm this girl as long as you put that seal on'"
"So what? Let her go now! You can't do anything against her as long as I have this damn Seal on," Lex refuted.
"Hear me out a bit. You need to focus on this 'intent' word" Brad smiled creepily.
"Impossible. No matter what you do, there's no loophole in the Mana Contract. So if you don't want to die, let her go immediately!" Lex refuted again.
"Kukuhahaha!" Brad laughed. "That's right, no word of play could be used to cloud Mana Contract's judgment no matter what. However, this 'Intend' word still has meaning on its own."
"Girl," Brad called out, then he cupped Alice's chin and pulled it up toward him. Alice already didn't have the will to fight back. Instead, she just hoped everything ended as fast as possible.
"Kukuhaha, Let me give a reward" then Brad bit his other hand letting his blood flow. "A reward for you to become a vampire! To become a higher being!" Brad stated.
"No!!" Lex immediately caught on to what he wanted to do. Being a vampire Alice will be no different from his slave.
Brad forcefully lets Alice drink his own blood. Then, he turned to Lex and saw his despaired expression for the first time. "AHahahaha," He laughed madly, "This is what I meant. I don't intend to harm her. On the contrary, I'm giving her a chance, a blessing!!"
"It works because I can make her a Vampire. I am intent on helping her to become stronger!! If she succeeded, she would become my slave. If she failed, there wouldn't be tomorrow for her!!"
"You Bastard!!!" Lex screamed and ran sloppily to punch him, which Brad easily evaded, then Lex fell down on the grass powerlessly.
Then before long, "Aaarcckk!!! Agggh!!! AAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!" Alice screamed while holding her throat she moved up and down left and right like a worm poured with salt. Then…
*Plop
Lex saw the fallen Alice beside him alongside the mad laugh of Brad in the background.
(…) "…" The second time Lex felt something snap inside him.