Sweating and shivering on the floor after facing the wrath of a demon, Yinka barely moved, his legs trembling under the weight of fear. Across the battlefield, Precious coughed up blood, her last reserves of energy spent saving him. Yinka noticed her frailty and, staggering, forced himself toward her.
"PHOTOCOPY – HEAL," he muttered, his voice hollow. Her wounds began to vanish, but Precious only smiled—a slow, creeping grin that sent a chill down his spine.
"You fool," she whispered, venom lacing her words.
Yinka froze in shock, but it was too late.
"PROPHECY – YOU ARE MY SLAVE AND WILL DO WHAT I NEED," she declared.
Yinka's mind spiraled into an inescapable illusion, his body no longer his own. Precious turned her gaze toward Elizabeth, who lay exhausted on the ground, clutching Michael's barely conscious body.
"Yinka," Precious ordered, her voice sharp and unyielding. "Use the most powerful ability you have and erase them."
Like a puppet, Yinka nodded, his voice flat and robotic. "PHOTOCOPY – STORM OF OLYMPUS."
The ground quaked. The air crackled with energy as Yinka ascended, his presence radiating like that of a god. The skies opened, thunder roared, and winds tore through the trees, shaking the world to its core. The sheer scale of the attack eclipsed everything. Even Precious couldn't maintain control of him anymore as the storm raged beyond her command.
Elizabeth, battered and drained, held Michael tightly, her trembling body refusing to yield to despair. She smiled faintly despite her exhaustion. "If I'm going to die here, then I'll go insane first."
With that, she screamed to the heavens, her voice straining with every ounce of strength she had left.
"SECRETS I HIDE, TRAUMA I COVER, LOVE I SHARE, HATE I GET, EMOTIONS I CONCEAL—ALL SHALL BE CONFINED BY MY LAWS OF GRAVITY!"
Her veins bulged, blood trickling from her eyes as she roared, "GRAVITY DOMAIN: GOD'S PRISON!"
The lightning storm halted mid-air, suspended as if by invisible chains. The overwhelming force strained Elizabeth to her breaking point. Her body shook violently, blood gushing from her nose and mouth as she fought to hold the storm at bay for just a little longer.
Precious, realizing the danger, panicked. "PROPHECY – YOU ARE NOT MY SLAVE!" she shouted at Yinka, but her words fell flat.
Yinka's head twisted unnaturally, a sickening 360-degree turn. A deep, otherworldly voice erupted from his lips. "Did you think you could control this boy?"
Precious staggered backward, terror etched into her face. Yinka, or the entity controlling him, smirked and intensified the storm's output. The pressure multiplied, and Elizabeth coughed up more blood, her body moments from collapse.
She turned to Michael, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. "If you fought to protect me, then wake up, old man!"
Her words pierced through the darkness.
Michael's mind snapped into clarity as a surge of red energy ignited within him. His eyes bled, his claws elongated, and his muscles tensed with a feral power.
"I HAVE TO SAVE HER. NO—I NEED TO DO EVERYTHING!"
The ground beneath Michael erupted as he launched forward, moving faster than the eye could follow. Grabbing Elizabeth in a princess carry, he took the full brunt of the lightning as it slammed into him. His skin burned, his body convulsed, but he kept moving—dodging, enduring, refusing to stop.
Elizabeth, cradled in his arms, looked up at him, her voice faint. "Michael… you'll die…"
Michael's only response was to charge forward, aiming straight for Yinka.
As they neared collision, the voice within Yinka laughed mockingly. "This boy is under my control."
Michael's bloodshot eyes burned with rage. "I don't care, stupid god."
The sky crackled as their clash seemed inevitable, but before the final blow could land, the battlefield shifted.
Suddenly, they were inside a pristine room, their battered bodies surrounded by other students, all equally mangled from their trials.
Michael wasted no time. He gently set Elizabeth down and hurled himself toward Yinka, his fists burning with fury.
Yinka, on the verge of collapse, barely registered the attack. Precious, stunned by the sudden change, stumbled as Michael's rage carried him forward.
"ENOUGH!"
The authoritative voice of Mr. Bola boomed across the room. A powerful force flung Michael and Yinka to opposite sides of the space, slamming them into the walls.
Yinka's body finally gave out, and he passed out cold. But Michael wasn't finished. Staggering to his feet, his face contorted with pain and fury, he fixed his gaze on Bola.
"I will kill anyone who gets involved in my welfare—or Elizabeth's welfare!"
Michael swung a punch at Bola, but his body finally reached its limit. He collapsed mid-strike, unconscious before his fist could connect.
Mr. Bola caught him effortlessly, shaking his head. "Just like your father… complete psychos."
The room remained silent, the other students staring in awe and horror at Michael's battered, bloodied form.
Precious, trembling, whispered, "He's become a monster. You're lucky he loves you, Elizabeth."