Darker Than Black

Chapter Nine • Coming Home

Nyro Slevon V

"Hao Vernard?"

"Yes, my master is indeed Hao Vernard. Well not anymore, now that he has ascended into the dark family, he is more powerful than you can possibly imagine," the general coughed.

"Contact, Vann now!" Nyro yelled.

She contacted him, even sending him the information of Hao Rakon being there.

"He's offline. I can't track him!" she yelled typing furiously on her keyboard.

"I'll go find him," Nyro said.

"Nah ah ah..." the general sang. "The minute you set foot in here, the room was placed in a barrier. Emergencies do happen."

"I should cut your head off," Nyro threatened bringing his blade dangerously close to the man's throat.

"But you can't. I'm assuming you need me hostage. Though there isn't much I can tell you. And I wouldn't even if I could," the general smirked.

The seeker pulled up a security footage of what was currently happening.

"Oh no. Vann is fighting off Hao. He's not hurting him that much," she said.

Nyro jumped over the row of NextTech computers and watched the video.

Vann's eyes flared.

"Lightgazer Optima: White Wave Explosion-Energy Transfer!"

"He's definitely stronger than when I first fought him. Was he holding all this power back?" Nyro commented.

"Yes get angrier! Get stronger! This match won't be fair if you're this weak!" Hao was taunting him.

Vann's ring glowed.

"Multi Skill Activation!"

"Swiftness Burst!" Vann charged quickly and sent a punch to Hao's stomach.

"Inferno Punch!"

The air exploded in flames. Flames even roared from outside shaterring the glass. The flames covered his entire left arm reaching to his shoulder.

He punched Hao once more as the flames singed Hao's face but refused to really burn it.

Vann punched him over and over each attack getting more powerful.

"That's it keeping going!" Hao taunted.

"Skill Upgrade: Inferno Punch to Inferno Flare!"

"But he only mastered that skill in our fight, how can he upgrade it so fast?" Nyro was shocked as he said this. And then he added.

"How is he manually upgrading it all?"

"Because of his current emotional state," she replied. A smart seeker she was. "Though I have no idea how he does it manually. I've heard tales of him doing it but never before saw it."

Vann's flames rushed into Hao and forced him back. He yelled something inaudible quickly and was immediately pulled into the shadows along with the girl, Mira. Hao was temporarily dumbfounded. But it was like a lightbulb clicking as his hands were engulfed in some form of dark matter. He reached into the shadows and out came Vann and Mira.

"You didn't think that using a shadow mask could stop me?" Hao asked.

"I taught you the technique," Hao said again. Looking at Vann, Nyro realized the change. Something must've happened in the shadows.

"You've lost your will haven't you?" Vann asked.

"What?" Hao asked.

"You've lost your will to live. You're living for someone else. You keep Mira alive because of your promise to her mom. But you still lost your own will to live," Vann said.