For a common resonator who started from level zero, they were still considered regular humans only at the level of top fitness. They could become strong if they luckily awakened a skill or innate talent that involved enhancement, and so on.
Then, what is the difference from rank zero to one? It was far away, like the earth and sky. The disparity was so great that with the usual punch from the boss man, Cain got blasted until destroying the reinforced wall of the warehouse and blasted away some containers inside.
When the boss man arrived in front of him, his gaze was cold, looking at Cain with pity. He was expecting something from a Kid who was just a regular human a moment ago. The kid who awakened his dormant power and managed to kill four men easily, like he was breathing without having slight guilt.
He thought Cain was a bit special compared to the others, but alas, his prediction was greatly wrong. Cain is the same as the others; probably, he just had some grit for living on the outskirts like him.
Cain, who faces the boss man head-on, keeps his calm as his eyes scan the surrounding area. From his left, there is a pile of sacks spilled all over the place from inside one of a steel container; probably, the item got blasted after being slammed with his body.
However, before Cain could act, his body tensed, realizing that his airways had been blocked. The man's strong grip made Cain gasp for air, and his limped limbs began to rebel, attempting to break free.
"Hmph, I thought you were different, but…".
Cain's face gradually turning to blue as the grip around his neck intensified. A sense of foreboding began to creep out, and Cain began to act out his instinct.
"Well, I will kill you painlessly…!".
Unnoticed by the man whose sight got blocked by his own right hand and his eyepatch, a sack that was filled with something crashed after being lifted by Cain's black cloth.
Upon making contact with the boss man, the sack tore and spewed a tremendous amount of cloud of sand into the atmosphere, blocking the man's focus. Feeling the grip loosened, Cain raised his right hand and let the black cloth wrap itself around the steel frame of the building, pulling him up.
Above after being freed, Cain is not wasting any more of his time. He has his strength back and a chance for him to at least take a breather and search for a way to run from the man. He stretches his left hand forward, making a grabbing motion.
Like earlier, the black cloth released itself from his arm and wrapped around the steel frame, and Cain began to swing in the ceilings. Feeling a pleasant wind that caressed his cheek carrying a sense of tension and a sense of freedom that enveloped his body.
All of that lasted only a few moments when the man blasted away the sand and stood there with a furious face. With a single step, the man jumped higher, shocking Cain to the core.
"Ahaha, that's how it's supposed to be; come on, Kid! Struggle more!".
While the man approached Cain, who was in the middle of his swing, Cain's other hand suddenly stretched and tied around another frame, pulling his body to the sides. But, with pure instinct he had, the free hand began to let the black cloth wrap around the man's waist, trapping him tight.
'Urk! He's so damn heavy!'. Cain grits his teeth; he tenses the muscle around his hand until veins pop out and throw the man below.
The man weirdly just smiled and let himself be carried by Cain; his body slammed into one of the containers that were piling up; then, after the container below bent and shifted from its position, the upper batch began to lose its balance, dropping down before burying the man.
Ignoring the man, Cain began to stretch his black cloth again. With one last swing, he went toward the window, and crossing his hands, Cain managed to breach out of the warehouse.
Outside, when he felt again for the second time how delicious the air was, below, he witnessed Noir struggling to dodge the Wolf's aggressive attack by diving into the shadows. Every time Noir decided to counter, the Wolf soon found out.
Cain, who was still in mid-air, looked around and found a nearby building roof. Moving fast, he stretched his black cloth and slammed it to the ground, letting smoke fly around and disturbing the beast's fight.
{Noir!}.
{*Hau!?}
After hearing its master voice and its presence nearby, Noir looked up and found Cain diving toward its place. With a bit of rolling to kill the momentum, Cain manages to escape, injuring his lower half.
He soon pulled Noir close to his embrace and began to stretch his black cloth toward the building roof. However, something unexpected happened.
"What!?".
*Woof!
Noir alarm woke Cain from his stunned state. He never thought that the black cloth had a limit for its stretches.
A snarling voice from behind Cain prompted him to get away from the place as soon as possible. He kicked the ground and rolled to the side, still carrying Noir.
"Run Noir!".
When he released his hold, Cain and Noir began to run toward the highway and turned to the right. The two pondered before Noir, who noticed something to its right, stopped and barked.
*Woof!
"What? There is no time for it right now!".
Cain looked toward the place Noir had shown him. It was the earlier dark alley where he had taken down the four people with a pole.
*Awoo!
A sign of death began to announce its seriousness. Cain and Noir's bodies tensed; they knew all well just how powerless the current they were
However, even though they were powerless, it didn't mean it was impossible to beat them. With how high the opponents' pride was, as they looked down on the two, Noir thought that maybe if they were inside its turf, they could win.
*Woof!
Noir barked, waiting for Cain's instruction. He hesitated about this plan. The earlier blow still lingers in his heart.
"Hmph. I thought you were running, but I applaud your bravery, Kid! Let's Go, Hal!"
*Grr!
Seeing the enemy had recuperated, Cain had no time to think and began to run toward the alley, where darkness was looming around. This was a comfortable place for Noir to act. Also, because the stench from the rotting food still lingered in the air, it was a good place to disturb the Wolf's sense of smell.
When a junction is ahead, Noir and Cain speed up, and the two begin to synchronize their breath and mind as one.
[Link activated]
Like an electric current running through their veins, both bodies jolted, and an overwhelming feeling enveloped both Cain and Noir. Their senses were shared, their strength enhanced, and above all else, they had a shared mind and could understand each other's thoughts without moving their lips.
The two began to run into different paths, making the pursuer knit their brows in wonder. From that time on, the man and his partner had a sense of foreboding enveloping them, but they easily swatted it and separated, following each other's prey.
"I'm counting on you, Hal!".
*Grr!
With a foul stench still lingering around, the Wolf couldn't use its most prized smell to track Noir. Relying only on its instinct, the Wolf arrived at the corner of a dark alley where there was no path around for Noir to escape.
However, recalling back, Noir could dive through a shadow, and at this time, the Wolf had realized its first mistake.
A chill that makes the Wolf turn around, but there is nothing there, only darkness that stares back at its green eyes. The hair around its body stood, alerted by the silent pressure Noir had given to it.
*Woff!
Noir noise echoed within the place; it tensed the Wolf's expression but still couldn't find a Noir figure. True when it comes to instinct predator, the Wolf would come on top if the two play in a fair match.
However, this is a death battle where fangs are ready to tear each other's throats. No amount of experience could defeat a beast that belongs on its turf.
The Wolf began to feel distressed, being pressured by an invisible threat that never came; the threat only came to intimidate and invoke the feeling of being hunted or a 'fear' to gnaw the Wolf's heart.
After enduring timeless torture from the darkness surrounding it, the Wolf yielded. It began to whine, terrified by the darkness that kept lurking, chipping its awareness as a hunter.
*Woff!
A solemn bark from Noir brought the Wolf's attention to the source. Nothing captured its sight, but when it looked down, the Wolf could see a pair of purple eyes glaring. The Wolf flinched and decided to flee from the place.
However, no matter what the Wolf does, its feet stick to the ground, refusing to move. Upon realizing something, a black cloth wraps around the Wolf's feet, restraining it. The Wolf struggles to break free, but with the darkness that surrounds them and the fear that corrodes its heart, the Wolf can't muster its true power.
Within Noir's pair of eyes, two pieces of black cloth appeared. They began to mix together and spin around, forming a spear shape with a tapered tip and a unique design.
*Woff!
Noir's word acts as a cue for the Spear to launch forward before it pierces the Wolf's skull in between its eyes.
[Experience up!]
[Congratulations, You Rank up!]
[Guardian Beast Noir Rank! 0 > 1]
[The restriction had been lifted]
[Attribute(Shared): Darkness could be used again]
[...]
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