[System Notification: Warning! The body's reserves are at critical levels. Sustained use of power has drained 95% of available mental energy. Immediate rest is recommended to prevent permanent damage to both brain and body.]
Akira stood amidst the carnage, his vengeance smoldering into cold ashes that swirled in the breeze. His chest heaved, the white lightning around him flickering weakly before dissipating entirely, leaving only a faint shimmer. For the first time since the fight began, he felt the adrenaline start to ebb, replaced by the chilling realization of what he had done.
His gaze swept over the chaos—faces frozen in fear, anger, and disbelief.
"Hah... I did it," Akira muttered, his voice low and cold, fists clenched at his sides. "Now, I need their entire organization to fall by my hands."
For a brief moment, a thrill of triumph danced in his heart—a sad and fleeting victory. His eyes moved to the ruins and then to the frantic crowd.
"But this... what a goddamned mess," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck, frustration bubbling just beneath his cooling exterior. "I should've picked someplace quieter... someplace I wouldn't be seen. Now, I've really got myself in trouble. Everyone will be gunning for me."
His jaw clenched as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. "They'll say I'm a danger... a monster... a criminal." He paused, his voice softening. "And they aren't wrong... I should've controlled myself. Damn it."
"If they find me now, my identity can be exposed. The news that I'm alive could reach Eri... Damn it! That's why I didn't want to rush killing him here. But... I don't regret it. Not a bit."
He was interrupted by sudden movement. He turned sharply to see a young couple standing frozen, their faces pale and stricken with terror. The couple stumbled backward, panic etched on their faces, before turning to flee. They weaved through the debris and scattering bystanders, desperately trying to escape the boy who had just reduced a superhuman to ashes.
For a brief moment, Akira watched them, a flicker of guilt passing through him. "They're right to run after what happened," he thought bitterly. "Everyone should."
"I brought this chaos here. My parents—" The thought shattered when the couple slammed into something invisible mid-sprint. Their bodies rebounded violently, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Gasps rippled through the onlookers as the pair lay motionless, unconscious but alive.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "What the hell?" he muttered, stepping closer. He extended his senses, the fine-tuned awareness of mana that had become second nature to him. Sparks of energy danced faintly in the air, subtle but unmistakable.
"A barrier...?" he whispered, casting his gaze around the area, scanning for anything—or anyone—that might have activated it. The faint ripples in the air had now formed an invisible dome, trapping him and the remaining spectators like flies caught in a web.
His fists tightened, and his body stiffened with renewed tension. "What is this...? This isn't just any trap. Whoever set this barrier up at this size... they're strong... really strong."
His mind raced with possibilities. Nightfall? Reinforcements? Someone else? The tension built as Akira took a step forward, testing the limit of the barrier. His fingers brushed against the faint shimmer of mana, meeting the resistance of an unyielding wall—formidable and unnervingly strong.
Before he could ponder further, a sound sliced through the eerie silence, sharp and unexpected.
"Khekhehkehe…"
It was low and guttural—one of those bone-chilling laughs that sent shivers down the spine. The sound reverberated inside the invisible barrier, unseen but unmistakably close.
Akira's body tensed, his senses on high alert. His eyes darted around the enclosure, scanning every nook and shadow. "Show yourself," he growled, his voice cold and commanding.
The only answer was that same odious, maniacal laughter, echoing endlessly within the confining dome of mana. The sound clung to the air, oppressive and unnerving.
Then, from behind the chaos, a figure emerged—disheveled, weak, and yet impossible to faze. Akira's eyes narrowed in incredulity.
"It's you... the homeless man from before. The one who handed me the demonic black pill." The one Akira thought he'd never see again.
The homeless man leaned his head back, his smile broadening almost in relish at Akira's shock. "To think you even noticed the essence of that pill... this is a first. What a monstrous lad." His voice dripped with amusement. "I knew you held quite a bit of malice, young man. But never did I expect you to let it explode like this... in the middle of such a crowded street. I never suspected it would be so big... so blinding to the point you could do such an act. Incredible, truly... I dare say I never thought you'd cross such a line."
He paused, his eyes narrowing as if peering into Akira's very soul. "But even more incredible is the fact that even though you took that man's life, your anger hasn't calmed down at all." The words hung in the air, thick with dread.
"There, lurking in the dark, unseen to most, the invisible aura around you swells—far larger, more oppressive than before. It stretches, an ominous shadow that pulses like a heartbeat, wrapping around you like an unholy cloak, a dark storm." He tilted his head, his grin widening.
"I could dare to say it's doubled."
Akira's fists clenched, his body tensed like a spring ready to strike at any moment. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
The man dismissively waved his hand, his smile never faltering. "Shhh… don't waste your breath with meaningless questions. I'm here to help you."
"Help me?" Akira's voice was loaded with incredulity. "How?"
"You think what you've done is troublesome, don't you? Lost yourself in your fury, acted without thinking… and now you're trapped. At this weak level, you're in no position to face those who'll come to capture or kill you."
Akira's glare hardened, his white eyes glowing faintly. "I don't need anyone's help. Don't stick your nose in my business."
The man laughed, the sound low and mocking. "Ah, such arrogance. But it's fitting, I suppose. And I won't meddle with your things. I said I would help you this time, and I mean it."
"Why?" Akira shot back, his voice sharp.
The man smiled, but there was no warmth in it—just a promise of something terrible, something lurking beneath the surface. "Because I want to see how far you go." His voice dropped lower, a whisper barely audible, yet it felt like an echo in Akira's very soul. "How much chaos you're capable of creating... And I want to see how far you can go before you break."
The words hung in the air, thick with menace, like the calm before a storm. The man's gaze lingered on Akira, sensing the fury bubbling just beneath his skin. "Because in the end, we all break, don't we? It's only a matter of time."
Akira snorted, his voice cutting. "Look around... everyone here saw what I did. What I did to him. They'll talk. They've probably recorded it too. What do you expect me to do—convince them to keep quiet?"
The man's grin stretched wider, his eyes shining with something dark and impenetrable. "Kheheh… it's the second time you've underestimated me, boy."
Without warning, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers. An earsplitting silence fell over the area. The faint shimmer of the barrier flared briefly, then collapsed inward. Akira watched in stunned disbelief as, one by one, the people within the enclosure—the bystanders, the fleeing couple, every single witness—disintegrated. Their bodies vanished into nothingness, no blood, no remains, not even the clothes on their backs. It was as if they had never existed.
Akira's eyes widened in shock, the sight making him quiver to his bones. He had never witnessed such a thing before. His voice thundered across the now-empty square, his breathing heavy as his mind raced to understand what had just transpired.
He whipped around to face the man, his entire body shaking with pure, unbridled anger. "What the hell did you do, you bastard?!" Akira screamed, his voice laced with horror and rage.
The homeless man only smiled, unruffled, as if the massacre he had just committed was something trifling. Akira's anger flared, and he charged at the man, his white aura burning furiously bright, lightning crackling around him like a storm unleashed.
"You bastard!" Akira roared, his fist aimed squarely at the man's face.
But the man didn't flinch. With a single, effortless movement, he raised his hand and caught Akira's punch as if swatting away a breeze. Akira felt it immediately—his muscles seized up, his limbs refusing to obey. Any strength he had was completely useless against whatever power this was.
"What the—?" Akira growled, his body straining against the unseen force, but it was futile.
The homeless man smiled, a calm yet chilling expression, as he tilted his head. "Calm down, boy. No need for theatrics."
Akira's eyes blazed as he clenched his teeth in fury. "How could you do this?!" he growled, his voice shaking with rage. "You killed thousands of innocent people!"
The man released Akira's fist, letting him slump to the ground, unable to move. He crouched to meet Akira's eyes, his smile widening. "And you think you're so different from me?"
"What?" Akira spat, his voice sharp. "I only killed those who shattered me!"
The man's chuckle was dark, the amusement palpable. "Hahhh... and I kill everyone I want to die. Stop me if you can... but we both know you can't."
Akira strained against the invisible force, growing even more frustrated. "You insane—!"
The man dismissively waved his hand and stood up. "Perhaps. But you'll thank me for this later. I said I'd help you, didn't I? So watch—I haven't finished."
Akira watched, helpless, as the man looked around at the destruction—broken buildings, debris scattered across the streets, ash that had once been a crowd of people. The man clapped his hands together, his grin never faltering.
"Now, watch closely, brat," he said, his voice dripping with dark amusement. He extended his hands outward, and an unnatural dark energy emanated from his body. The air around him vibrated with an energy Akira had never felt before—an overwhelming pressure that screamed of something far beyond ordinary mana.
Ruined buildings began to rebuild themselves, piece by piece. Shards of glass rose from the ground, fitting seamlessly into window frames. Crumbled walls rose and rebuilt as if time itself were running in reverse. In less than a minute, the street was perfectly restored, clean and untainted, as if Akira's fight had never occurred.
The sight left Akira speechless. His lips parted, but no words came out. The utter impossibility of what he was seeing rooted him to silence.
The homeless man turned back to Akira, his job done. "There," he said nonchalantly. "You're good to go. The buildings are restored, the streets are clean, and the missing people… well, they'll be blamed on something unnatural again. No one will connect this to you."
Akira's paralysis faded, and he scrambled to his feet, his voice sharp. "How... how is this possible?"
The man leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Arcane Mana."
Akira froze, the words sounding both meaningless and ominously significant.
The man stepped back, still grinning. "The rarest kind of mana... with it, I bend reality itself. That's why things you think impossible... for me, they're just… a whim."