**Panting...**
Amidst the darkness, three shadows dashed swiftly. One was a man in his late 30s, while the other was a young lady holding a child beside her.
"Are you sure it's okay to leave those two behind?" the young lady said, taking a deep breath as she ran.
"Yeah, the oldest man is ranked among the top 5 in our organization, so he'll be fine," the old man replied.
"If you say so," the young girl responded, relief evident on her face.
"Stop there! You are under arrest!" The voice rang out from a mile behind them.
As if on reflex, the young girl and the old man looked behind them, only to behold a group of heroes chasing them.
"No, we're in trouble!" the young girl cried out, her expression filled with terror.
The old man touched her shoulder and activated his abilities. Instantly, she began running with incredible speed, comparable to the Flash in comics.
The young girl was taken aback, struggling to comprehend what had just transpired. She remembered reading a classified file, accessible only to the top members within the "TRV" organization. The file revealed the existence of an old man with the power to borrow abilities, usable once per day. Additionally, he could bestow these powers upon others, albeit with the same time limit. Notably, he was one of the oldest members and ranked among the top 10 strongest within the organization.
"Please get the young boy to safety. He is our only hope of winning this war," the old man said with a smile, beginning his preparations for battle. The young girl looked away, tears streaming down her face as she shouted, "Please come back alive, old man." The old man smiled and replied, "I will."
Some of the heroes noticed her escaping and tried to chase her, but they were cut off by the old man who activated the ability "Dimensional Slash", as the name suggests it is the ability to cut space and land an attack in any area or any positions so far you can see the target you want to attack.
Some heroes were killed in that attack, while some escaped with major injuries. The ones who escaped without injuries decided to stop their pursuit of the young girl and the boy, realizing they needed to give their all to defeat this old man.
"You asked for this, old man," said one of the heroes angrily as he began to activate his abilities. Blue flames started coming from his hands and in an instant shot towards the old man. However, the old man reflexively activated the ability vector force field, which also instantly reflected the flames back to the hero. He was engulfed in flames, screaming and trying to extinguish them, but was burnt to a crisp.
Noticing that some of the heroes became afraid due to his strength, they decided to attack together. However, their plan was interrupted by a hero with the nickname Eraser. Eraser had the ability to erase all abilities, but his weakness was that he needed to see the person or the abilities he wanted to erase.
Eraser then devised a plan that could be effective against the old man. This plan was communicated through a conscious connection with another hero. All the heroes received the strategy information, which was quickly downloaded into their minds. With smiles on their faces, they hurriedly advanced to attack the old man.
The old man, looking surprised and fully aware that any attack on him would be reflected tenfold, became confused by the sudden shift in strategy. He wondered about their change in approach and decided to face them head-on.
As the old man contemplated his next move, one of the heroes activated his ability known as "flash step." This ability allowed him to enhance his speed, creating the illusion of teleportation to a specific location. In reality, he sprinted at a speed that the human eye could track.
In an instant, the hero propelled himself toward the old man's position and aimed a blow at his face. However, just before his fist could land on the old man's face, the old man instinctively moved his head backward. As a result, the hero's fist grazed the old man's chin.
The old man remained surprised, attempting to comprehend why his abilities weren't functioning. However, there was no time for contemplation as he faced an onslaught from a group of heroes intent on killing him. He started devising numerous strategies to escape his current predicament.
In the midst of his contemplation, while his attention wandered from his surroundings, one of the heroes emerged from beneath his shadow. With a weapon in hand, the hero swiftly slashed at the old man's back, causing him to recoil in pain and let out a pained groan, muttering, "Shit, I messed up badly."
This led him to finally abandon reliance on his abilities and instead resort to using martial arts against them, a decision that seemed like a suicidal move. Witnessing this, all of the heroes burst into laughter, and one of them quipped, "Is this old man seriously attempting martial arts?" Another hero chimed in, "Perhaps he's too old to think things through."
Amid the laughter and mockery from the other heroes, Eraser quietly observed the old man's actions. He noticed a scar on the left side of the old man's cheek, triggering a memory of a dangerous assassin known as "The Impossible Killer." This assassin was notorious for defeating formidable opponents with abilities using only his bare hands and whatever materials were at his disposal.
Eraser, recalling this information, shouted, "Don't underestimate the old man. He's dangerous. You can take him on one-on-one." But before he could finish his words, the old man realized Eraser was the strategist and, in an instant, charged forward with superhuman speed, striking a hero in the jaw, causing blood to spurt from his mouth.
Another hero tried to retaliate, launching a series of attacks at the old man, but the old man effortlessly evaded them. With a ruthless efficiency, he brought out a knuckle-shaped knife and began systematically eliminating the heroes one by one, using an unimaginably skillful technique.
Recognizing the hopelessness of their situation, Eraser decided to devise an escape plan despite his lack of combat experience. As he plotted his exit, his gaze met with the old man's, and in a moment of fear, he bolted away to save himself.
Noticing Eraser's escape, the old man realized his abilities had returned now that Eraser was no longer looking at him. He resolved to kill Eraser. Just as the old man was about to pursue Eraser, other heroes intervened to prevent him from doing so.
In response, the old man sighed and offered the fleeing heroes a final chance at survival: "I'll spare you one more time. If you don't value your life, stay." Some of the heroes who had been fearful of the old man fled, while others remained to obstruct his path.
Closing his eyes briefly and then reopening them, the old man triggered an instant spatial separation between himself and the heroes. The heroes' bodies were severed into pieces, and blood gushed like a waterfall. With a bitter expression, the old man uttered, "You are dangerous and I need to end you right here and right now."
Eraser, witnessing the horrific scene, felt his strength abandon him as he knelt on the ground, no longer able to flee. He begged the old man for mercy. Just as the old man prepared to end Eraser's life with a knife, a voice echoed from the sky, declaring, "I can't let you kill him; he still holds his values."
Startled, the old man recognized the voice of the No. 1 hero, Zeus, who had arrived on the scene. The hero revealed his intention to capture the old man alive. Faced with the prospect of capture, the old man attempted to end his own life, but time froze and then resumed. In that moment, the old man found his hands severed, and he was bound and carried away by Zeus, along with Eraser, back to his hero hideout.
As he was transported, the old man sighed in acknowledgment of his ill fortune. He remembered the promise he had made to a young girl about returning alive. With a wistful smile, he muttered in a low tone, "Sorry, Kid. It seems I've let you down."