On Central Avenue, Dynami
Saik walked at the front of his group of twenty civilians, accompanied by Captain Williams, who was holding an Uzi and sweating profusely despite the cloudy weather.
"Where did Nahome go?" Saik asked, puzzled by the agent's sudden disappearance.
"Our evacuation plan has nothing to do with the Tower. They have different objectives," replied the captain, busy loading his Uzi.
"What a load of crap."
The Gyakus were on the loose, but Saik remained unbothered. His book was open, and a cool breeze was enough to keep him calm.
"I thought you left that book back at the field," Williams commented, wiping the sweat from his face with a white cloth.
"Yeah… I thought I could go back and get it, but I realized it wasn't a good idea," Saik replied while reading his book.
Grrr! Grrr!
Suddenly, a deep and resonant roar echoed through the city, and everyone in Saik's group looked up at the buildings. A creature was perched atop a tall skyscraper, and to calm the civilians, Williams called for their attention.
"Quiet! Let's stay quiet, please!"
With his eyes focused on the monster on the building, Saik closed his book and handed it to Williams without saying a word.
"What are you going to do?" Williams asked, holding the book with a hint of tension.
Unlike the people, who were trembling and whispering in fear and apprehension, Saik's drooping eyes showed his serenity; nothing could disrupt his calm demeanor.
"It's just a Gyaku. I'm not sensing any others nearby. Could you take these people to the bases alone, Captain?" Saik was trying to get a clearer view of the creature since the building was very tall and the Gyaku's identification was difficult. His question to the captain was crucial for the civilians' safety.
Grrr! Grrr!
"I can. But what about you?"
"Me? No worries. I'm fine, so you can go," Saik said, walking calmly towards the building.
Williams guided the group down the avenue, aiming to reach the military bases in the south of the city, while Saik observed the peculiar figure. The dark clouds and cold mist coincidentally parted, allowing the sun's rays to touch the ground. The most interesting thing was certainly the grotesque appearance of the Gyaku on the building, with a gorilla's body, a crow's head, and two horns.
"A gorilla on a building? What an unusual reference," Saik thought, biting his thumbnail with a sarcastic smile as if nothing was happening.
The silence in the area was shattered when the Gyaku let out a deafening roar and, with surprising speed, leaped from the building. The impact of its landing dented the ground, forming craters and cracks that spread across the street. Saik remained calm, taking a defensive stance.
"Looks like this beast isn't in the mood to relax, huh?" Saik's eyes followed every move of the beast.
The Gyaku charged, its gigantic claws slicing the air with brutal force. Saik tried to sidestep, but the creature furiously struck him with the palm of a third gorilla arm, slamming him forcefully against the glass storefront of a building.
Saik landed inside a beauty salon, the mix of hair product scents and the dust from shattered glass covering the floor.
"Three arms? What kind of monkey is this?" Saik grumbled, getting up amid the broken glass.
The creature's impatience or excessive hunger resulted in thunderous roars that echoed through the deserted streets, causing destruction. With overflowing fury, the monster picked up several vehicles on the street, instantly worrying Saik.
"This won't be easy."
The vehicles spun in the air, ready to be hurled at Saik. He didn't hesitate and activated his technique.
"Elatós: Malleable Energy."
All techniques required a simple command; it was mandatory to speak the name of the demon from one's pact to activate it.
With adrenaline pumping through his body, Saik quickly released some of his internal energy, creating a protective circle around himself.
The cars were launched with brutality but collided against Saik's energy shield, ricocheting and falling helplessly around the internally devastated salon. The Gyaku, enraged, let out a wild roar and charged with concentrated fury towards the salon. It struck the ceiling with its closed fist, causing the entire ceiling to collapse.
Whew!
Saik managed to launch himself out of the salon, now standing on the chaotic avenue, filled with craters, debris, and unbalanced terrain that made combat difficult.
"I can't take too long. I have no external energy, so it's win by technique or die trying."
The salon's collapse raised an extensive cloud of dust, shrouding the combat area.
"Low visibility is the perfect weapon for this ugly beast. Its speed is superior to mine, but I have the advantage in agility. It'll be a matter of seconds to catch this beast mid-jump," Saik analyzed, covering his face with his left hand due to the dense dust.
Saik narrowed his eyes, trying to discern the creature amid the poor visibility. Before he could realize, an enormous hand emerged from the polluted fog to crush him. He projected his entire body backward and shouted.
"Energy Barrier!"
The creation of the barrier, molded by internal energy, saved Saik's life. The Gyaku's hand collided with the barrier and reverberated through the air; Saik felt the impact of the blow even with the energy barrier. The carrier knew he had to stay calm and focus his mind.
In a sudden attack, he dodged a blow that crushed the ground.
"It's now or never."
The monster was frantic and charged at Saik again. In a split second, the Gyaku's silhouette was already beside him, and an offensive with its claws was expected by Saik.
"Gotcha, you ugly beast," Saik whispered with a relieved smile and a hopeful expression.
Having previously understood the Gyaku's movement, as the knowledge of these monsters' battles is limited, with few offensives and ideas in mind to use. Saik took advantage of this opportunity, concentrated internal energy in his left arm, and with a minimal jump, precise to dodge the claw attack. The energy flowed perfectly, and he shaped it into a sharp blade.
In his jump, his body spun in an unexpectedly precise manner. With a swift movement, Saik used the energy blade to strike the creature's neck. The blow was perfect, and the creature's head separated from its body and fell to the ground.
Oof... Oof...
Saik's sigh of exhaustion was understandable. The fact that he had no external energy always forced him to deal with the tension of using only internal energy in combat. He took a deep breath, dissipating the Malleable Energy from his left arm, his unchanged expression said it all.
"Damn. That gorilla was unusual, but it was fun to feel like I was in a movie," Saik joked, looking at the dead Gyaku and laughing at his own words.
In the sky above, a drone hovered and reported the incident between Saik and the Gyaku to the Tower's intelligence department.
"Department, reporting the presence of carriers in Dynami. Saik, a 24-year-old carrier, his technique is Malleable Energy. Tahiko, a 25-year-old carrier, and his technique is Natural Amplitude," the drone's robotic voice informed the Tower commander.
At the department's headquarters, the commander, named Ava, with long blonde hair, slightly arched eyebrows, and a thin, serious face, asked the drone with curiosity.
"Anyone else?" asked the mysterious commander.
"Koji, a 21-year-old carrier, and his technique is Spheres. The three carriers are part of the fifth class, likely beginner carriers. They seem to be working with the Armed Forces to evacuate the remaining survivors in the city."
"As instructed by the drone, Koji, Saik, and Tahiko were part of the fifth class, a ranking list created by the Alliance that defined how powerful the carriers were.
The beginners/novices were in the fifth class, the lowest. As they developed their abilities, they moved up to the fourth and third classes. From the second class onwards, the Alliance and the Tower monitored these carriers more closely to maintain balance in coexistence with humans.
The first class was the highest, gathering the most powerful carriers in the world. Each class represented a level of skill and control over their techniques, with extreme vigilance as the power increased."