Ten days passed in a blink of an eye. Silver World took over Arcon's Helm without anyone to resist, and they were more than happy to get out of the tyrant's rule. And one of the other reasons was the murder of all higher officials by the unknown armored lady.
Ace was busy training his powers. Although he managed to control his abilities, his stamina stat didn't increase. He ran, spent hours in the gym, did a reckless underwater swim, and even spent his free time swinging his sword, but nothing worked. Even so, he didn't give up and continued his efforts.
[Location: Unknown] [Silver World's hidden prison]
Jaxon, Clare, and Trisa used a teleporter and appeared inside a dark hallway. They began to walk toward Ivan's cell.
The hallway seemed narrow, with small doors on both sides. A small yellow crystal was dimly glowing on top of each door. But it wasn't enough to lighten the dark hallway.
They halted in front of a massive metal door with glowing Aura inscriptions. Trisa touched the door and pushed her Aura into it.
[Rumble] [Rumble] The metal door opened with a little rumbling sound. They went inside, and the door closed behind them with a thud.
Beyond the metal door lies the real prison where the country's worst criminals are sealed. There were assassins, killing maniacs, foreign spies, high-class criminals, and those who turned into unkillable monsters after losing control of their superpowers.
"Trisa!!! I will rip you apart when I get out..." One of the prisoners chained in Dark Red Aura chains yelled while trying to rip apart the chains.
"You are going nowhere..."
"Now where were we...? Ahhh! I remember..."
The investigator pulled out the prisoner's left toenail. Blood spewed on the floor. Then he slashed his right thigh.
"Arrrrgggg!!!!" The prisoner screamed in pain.
His body was littered with small blade marks. Blood was dripping from his wounds. The healer, who was waiting at the cell's corner, flicked his finger, healing the prisoner.
"Think carefully instead of yelling out at the boss..."
"Anyway... You see these needles... It's going to be your eyes in the next 2 minutes..."
The investigator said after wiping the blood from his face. He summoned a box of glowing needles and put it on the table filled with numerous torture instruments.
Trisa didn't pay any notice and continued to walk further inside. The massive cells were all over the area, glowing with Aura seals. Some cells were hanging on the ceiling, while others were carved on the stony cave-like surrounding.
9th and 10th level superhumans were guarding them. And some investigators were torturing the prisoners to get out information. Occasionally screams of the criminals echoed throughout the closed environment.
They stopped in front of a cell at the end of the prison. It was Ivan's cell. The guard opened the gate, seeing Jaxon, Trisa, and Clare. Inside there was a stone bed and an open toilet. The walls were full of moss, and occasionally water was seeping out from the ceiling. It looked like the prison was located somewhere underground, near a water body.
"How is he doing?" Trisa asked the guard while cracking her knuckles.
The last time she interrogated Ivan, she nearly killed him. She twisted all his muscles and bones while the healer was healing him for hours. Ivan screamed and cried in pain and agony, but Trisa continued to vent her anger.
"He is alive... With his powers lost forever, he gave up struggling after the second day," The guard informed.
After Ace stopped him from exploding, Ivan lost his superpower and became a normal human. He tried to use his abilities to manipulate the surrounding water but failed. He screamed and cursed for almost two days but gave up realizing the reality.
Jaxon dismissed the guard and entered the cell along with the others. Ivan was sitting on the floor, leaning on the wall and looking down on the floor with dead eyes. After losing his power, he felt something that he had forgotten. It was the feeling of weakness and powerlessness like an unawakened human. He felt pain, hunger, and fear, which he never thought was possible for someone who mastered Aura and superpower to the maximum limit.
"You look like shit... Anyway here... Take a look at this," Jaxon took out a box of pills and a metal watch and threw it in front of Ivan, "Looks familiar, right?"
The team he sent to the wasteland discovered those two items from a puddle of blood along with a pair of burnt shoes from under the sewer system.
"Patrik!!!! Nooo!!!" Ivan stuttered. He touched the metal watch while trembling, "Why???" His voice was wavering in sadness, and tears were dripping from his eyes.
"Yes, Patrik, your precious son. He died after getting caught in an explosion inside the border... I wonder why he came here? Maybe, to save you... Or maybe for revenge... But, alone... I find it very hard to imagine," Jaxon asked Ivan and sat on the stone bed.
He knew that something was going on in the Arcon's Helm. Ivan's sudden proposal to challenge the country as a wager was suspicious. A man like Ivan would never risk his all for a simple challenge. Jaxon realized that there was something more to this matter that made Ivan take those steps.
"Tell me, what happened in your country? And maybe we can help you take revenge on the one who sent your son to death..."
Jaxon said with a calm tone while carefully watching Ivan's every reaction. He noticed that Ivan's eyes were stuck on the pill case. He noticed a glint of fear in his eyes.
"The pills... We have examined it... Found traces of booster drugs and a drop of someone's blood. Who is the owner of the blood?" Clare asked Ivan but got no reply.
"Hehehehehe... Hahahahaha"
Ivan suddenly burst out in laughter, surprising everyone.
"Even I don't know her identity... But she is not someone anyone of you can face with your current abilities. Not even you," Ivan said, pointing his finger toward Trisa.
"Is that why you wanted to dump your country on us? You planned to use underhanded methods in the challenge fight, and you knew that someone would stop you, and Silver World will win the battle..."
"You cunning bastard... You wanted to kill me and everyone in the mansion so that there would be no one to stop the danger, and your long-time enemy, Silver World, would face the same danger as your country..."
Jaxon yelled angrily after letting out a wave of bloodlust and slammed his fist on the stone bed, shattering it to dust.
"Kekekeke!!!"
"I lost my only son... I lost everything... And yet, here I am still alive... Since I have killed so many, and look at me... Karma came and kicked me in the arse..."
"You don't need to find her... She will eventually find you... She is an Immortal... You hear me, Jax... Immortal... This world had gone to shit..."
"An ancient evil Immortal being who controls life and death with a flicker of her finger... Isn't that a God? Tell me, Jax... How can you kill someone who can not die? How can you kill her?"
"I tried... And look at me, Jax... She made me a tyrant... The power I had was also her giving... She is a God, you hear me... A freaking living and breathing God..."
"Listen to me, Jax... You see her, you run... Don't look back and run as far and fast as you can... Run... That's all you must do..."
"Arrrgggg!!!!"
Ivan was spilling out everything about the unknown enemy, but suddenly, his body began to swell. Blue energy was radiating from his skin. Multiple cracks appeared on his face.
"What the...?"
Everyone jumped up and raised their Aura, seeing some kind of unknown energy boiling inside Ivan's body. His skin was slowly burning with blue flames coming out from his from the cracks on his face.
"I... I... failed... You..."
"Kukkkk!!! She knows about him... She is here..."
"Ace... She is after his flames... Save... your son... Where I failed to save mine..."
"Arrrgggg!!!!"
"I can see it... She is closing in on him... Arrrggg!!! Gooo!!!! Jax... Run!!!"
Ivan yelled and screamed in pain, warning about the danger approaching toward Ace's location.
[Wooosh] The blue flames burst out, turning Ivan into a pile of ashes.
"Hurry!!!"
Jaxon, Clare, and Trisa dashed out of the prison. They made their way toward the new training field Jaxon made for Ace.
[Training Field] [A few meters walk from the mansion's garden]
Ace was diligently swinging his sword while occasionally infusing his super strength into it, "Humm!!!" He stopped, seeing a young girl approaching him.
"Who are you?"
"Wha...?"
The girl disappeared as soon as Ace blinked. He looked around in confusion. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, thinking it was a hallucination due to exhaustion.
*****
**S_Activated: Skin
[Feel!!! Danger detected within 100-meter range]
**Enhanced Vision Activated
*****
"Freaking hell!!!"
"Activate Wisp of Underworld..."
"Activate God's Favor..."
Ace raised his sword and took a fighting stance.
[Bang] A sound of a bullet came from nearby.
*****
[Stamina: 0/100]
**100% Weapon Immunity [No damage from weapon]
Danger!!! 0 Stamina failed to counter the continuous attacks
100% Critical damage inflicted on the host
100% True damage inflicted on the host
*****
"Waaa...?" Ace fell to his knees. He felt a warm feeling around his chest, "Kukkkk!!! Blood!!!" He grabbed his chest. He was confused at the moment since he thought his body was immune to all weapon attacks, "Why...?" He fell to the ground.
"Ace!!!!"
Ace heard someone calling his name, but he could hardly breathe at the moment.
They were too late.
"Nooo!!!" Jaxon took up Ace in his arms. He tried to heal his injuries, "Kill that bastard..." He blinked toward the inner mansion. The 9th-level guards he assigned to look after Ace were all dead.
"That bastard used Domain... I will counter it with mine," Clare yelled, summoning her Shadow Domain, "Focus on dealing damage..."
"I will kill you..." Trisa unleashed her power and dashed toward the enemy.
*****
**Activating Mind Space
*****
**************