The vans got to the towering walls of the mining facility and there were two people waiting for them.
The first was Leo Robinson, a man with an imposing figure, standing at a formidable 6'2" with a broad, muscular build and short black hair. His eyes were his most striking feature—deep, molten amber that flickered with an inner light, reflecting the heat and intensity of his powers. His face was strong and chiseled, with a square jaw and high cheekbones.
Meanwhile, the lady was Evelyn Ortiz. Contrary to Leo's fiery presence, she exuded a gentle, calming presence that immediately puts others at ease. She was 5'6" with a slender, graceful build that looked delicate but strong. Her skin is a light caramel hue, possessing a natural, healthy glow that seemed almost unnatural.
Evelyn's long, wavy hair was a deep chestnut brown, cascading down her back in soft, loose waves. She had serene, sea-green eyes that radiated compassion and tranquility. Her face was soft and inviting, with high cheekbones, a delicate nose, and full expressive lips that often formed into a warm smile upon seeing the approaching students.
Swish!
Bam!
The man with the angelic wing descended rapidly, leaving behind web-shaped cracks as he fell on one knee.
[Yep, you are dead.] Lyxor chuckled.
'Shut the fuck up.' Lucius cursed.
"There are Ethan, Leo, and Evelyn." Moon introduced them briefly. "With them, you guys, and a team of thirty heavily armed soldiers, we make up the strike force that will push these rampaging beasts back."
"Nice to meet you all." Ethan revealed a charming smile, but his eyes searched the gathering of students vigilantly, falling on Lucius, who purposefully acted oblivious.
His gaze shifted to Moon, who nodded discreetly, unknown to them Lucius had witnessed the entire exchange.
"Everyone, get in position. We will be opening the gates now!" Moon said, and the soldiers sprang into action.
They positioned themselves behind anything that could serve as cover, while the guardians and students stood in front.
Clank.
The gates began opening slowly and the growling of beasts could be heard while they viciously struggled to fit into the small space that had been created.
Everyone tensed up as they watched the gate slowly open, but Lucius walked past them, his hand brushing against the body of the van.
"Hand Of God." He snarled as the metallic properties of the van coated his body, but he was not done.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the thick blue fumes in the mining area began surging into his body rapidly, creating a strange blue energy circuit all over his metallic body.
Bam!
The gate had opened enough and a few mutated beasts were able to squeeze their way in. They charged towards the guardians and to everyone's surprise, Lucius broke into a frenzied spring.
Ha!
Lucius roared when he was just two meters away from the beasts, he punched forward, releasing a powerful shockwave of blue energy.
Boom!
About four beasts were sent flying back and crashing into their counterparts. Meanwhile, more beasts charged forward, this time they were over twenty in front.
"Ralph!" Lucius roared as he jumped back and to everyone's surprise, a door appeared behind him, which he fell into and vanished.
Xiu!
A second door opened above the beasts, and Lucius shot out of it, sucking in the power of the blue mist as he fell.
"HAAAAAAA!"
BOOM!
Chunks of flesh and blood scattered around as a blue shockwave erupted around, killing over five beasts and badly damaging the rest.
Everyone's stunned gaze moved from Lucius, whose eyes were blazing with blue light energy, to Ralph, breathing heavily with an excited smile.
Roar!
The beasts growled viciously and sprang toward Lucius, but an icy wind surged past them, freezing over ten beasts at once.
Swish!
Countless feathers rushed forward, stabbing into the ice and ruthlessly dissecting the frozen beasts.
Bam!
Lucius calmly turned around to see another beast jump over the ice sculptures, charging for him.
Thud!
Leo shot past, Lucius, his body scorching red as he threw a punch forward, shattering the beast's jaw in one blow. It fell to the ground, letting out a low groan while scrambling to get up, however, Leo was already standing over it.
Pa!
He grabbed the beast's face, and his scorching red hand melted into its face until he could crush it entirely.
'Interesting ability.' Lucius commented
Piu!
Soldiers finally unleashed barrages of laser beams while marching forward, leaving Lucius with no choice but to retreat back to the starting lines with Leo.
"Interesting show of strength, Kid. You really are something." Leo shot Lucius a wink.
"Thank you." Lucius nodded as he walked back to the group, only to see Ralph bubbling with excitement.
"We were so cool!" Ralph yelled in excitement as he threw a high-five at Lucius.
"How did you know I wasn't trying to escape from the battlefield?" Lucius had to ask as he high-fived Ralph.
The normal reaction of anyone in such a dangerous situation would be to pull him out, but Ralph just threw him back into the battle.
"I don't know… I just felt you could do more." Ralph shrugged and Lucius laughed.
Silver and the others gazed at Lucius, laughing with expressions that would make one believe they saw a ghost.
"Is this dude really laughing?" Silver muttered in disbelief.
"Apparently he can do that too." Maya Walker was shocked as well.
The coldness Lucius portrayed from his very first day in the academy was still stuck in their heads, so this was new to them. However, seeing Lucius and Ralph talk and laugh made these people realize something important—Lucius did not stick to Ralph as his partner out of resentment for Dean, he did it because he actually wanted the fat kid to be his partner.
Ralph had always been talked down on and his power downplayed but seeing him use it to assist Lucius in battle made them understand his low rating was unfair and politically motivated. Lucius saw past the image of weakness the government and academy tried to portray on Ralph and saw his potential.