(INT) means "In Thought" as in thinking.
(MRY) means "Memory" as in remembering something.
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Seiji, Eira, and Riku chase after Kade in the forest. Kade grabs a few rocks, attempting to throw them at the trio, but the three eqsily smack the rocks away, undeterred.
Kade vaults over a dead tree, rolls on the ground, and seizes a dead tree branch, aiming to strike Riku. However, Eira intervenes, delivering a dropkick to Kade's stomach, sending him into a tree.
As Eira approaches to attack, Kade swiftly maneuvers behind a tree, causing her sword to get caught. Kade quickly lands two hooks to Eira's face before delivering a punch to her stomach.
Shinoda Seiji:
"Water Magic, Abyssal Grasp!"
Kade's body ensnared in watery tendrils, Riku, Eira, and Seiji rush toward him, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches and kicks. Trapped and overwhelmed, Kade struggles as the blows rain down, his resistance waning against the onslaught.
The System:
"DURABILITY LEVEL UP!"
"ENDURANCE LEVEL UP ×2!"
"DEFENSE LEVEL UP!"
Shinoda Seiji(INT):
"He's quickly leveling up!"
"We got to keep this up until he's unconscious!"
Kade groans in pain and manages to break free from the watery entanglement, swiftly retreating. However, he stumbles over a rock, tumbling onto his back. He quickly springs to his feet, narrowly evading Riku's strike as she lunges at him with her katana.
Kade swiftly rises and races away from the trio, sliding underneath a dead tree and cleverly maneuvering through the forest, using the trees as shields to evade their relentless attacks.
The System:
"SPEED LEVEL UP!"
"STAMINA LEVEL UP!"
Kade, displaying increased speed, leaps onto a vine and swings around the tree. Seiji, without a moment's pause, receives a dropkick to the face. Kade lands on top, dragging and scraping Seiji's head against the forest floor.
Kade Northwood:
"How does the dirt taste? Brat!"
He scraped his head along the ground, then flung his body into a tree, delivering a powerful front kick to his face that shattered the tree upon impact.
Hagakiri Riku:
"Ethereal Blade Dance..."
Riku, her katana emanating an ethereal glow, swings it with prowess. Kade glances back, only to feel the searing pain of four large slash wounds across his shoulder and chest.
Kade retreated, a pained expression on his face, his eyes fixed on Riku.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"How did she hit me when she wasn't even close?"
"Her ability will be the end of me, so I'll have to go for her first."
Kade charges at Riku, enduring two slashes on his body, and closing in to headbutt her, but Eira intervenes with a punch to his face, sending Kade crashing into a tree, breaking it upon impact.
Eira charges at Kade, only to be struck by a half-broken dead tree, propelling her into another tree. Kade seizes the opportunity, slamming her into the tree and delivering punches to her ribs and face. However, he is unexpectedly punched by an unseen force, causing him to retreat from Eira and Riku.
Eira cleans the blood from her mouth.
Eira Morfiel:
"Redirection..."
Riku walks and stands beside her, tying her hair in a ponytail and wiping away the blood from her nose.
Circling each other, Kade cracks his neck and knuckles, glaring at the two women. He spits his blood on the ground, assuming a fighting stance against the duo.
The forest is hushed, the air still, time seeming to crawl for the trio. Sweat trickles down their foreheads as they maintain a prolonged gaze, locked in a tense standoff.
The System:
"SPEED LEVEL U–"
Kade and the two women charge at each other. He skillfully evades Eira's sword swing, attempting to deliver an uppercut to her jaw.
However, a sudden slash wound on his forearms interrupts his movement. Despite the pain, he persists with the punch, only to receive a blow to his stomach from an unseen force. He realizes that while his punch connected with Eira, she remained unaffected.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"So that's what she means by Redirection."
"My hits get redirected to random parts of my body, what an annoying ability."
"So I'll have to... do this!"
Kade's fist, still beneath her chin, swiftly maneuvers around her head, executing a fluid flip that sends her body to the ground. Simultaneously, he kicks dirt into Eira's eyes and skillfully dodges an incoming attack from Riku's sword.
The System:
"MARTIAL ARTS LEVEL UP!"
"DEFENSE LEVEL UP!"
ENDURANCE LEVEL UP!"
Riku quickly retreats from Kade.
Hagakiri Riku:
"Ethereal Blade Dance–"
With blinding speed, he narrows the distance to Riku, delivering an uppercut to her chin and a front kick to her chest, causing her to stagger backward. She quickly clasps her hands together, and Kade feels a swift smack to both of his ears.
Clutching both of his ears, he receives a push kick to the face, causing him to stagger backward. Riku charges at him with a sword attack. Kade swiftly stands up, leaping back into a tree, then maneuvers behind it, taking a few steps back.
As Riku attempts to lunge towards him, he grabs onto a fallen dead tree and smashes it into her. Capitalizing on the moment, Kade digs his hand into the ground, grabbing a handful of dirt and smacking dirt in her eyes.
He proceeds to headbutt her repeatedly, followed by a series of punches to her face and stomach. A final uppercut to her chin knocks her out completely.
The System:
"STRENGTH LEVEL UP!"
Grasping the back of her neck, he removes her glasses and breaks them, hurling them into the forest. Just as he's about to punch her again, his strike is redirected into his stomach.
Eira Morfiel:
"NOW!!!"
A vengeful presence races toward Kade in blinding speed, delivering a powerful punch to his stomach, sending him crashing through mutliple trees and into the distance.
Luna Emberscraw:
"I guess that equals it out for the both of us, you bas##rd."
Luna breathed heavily, exhausted from delivering the powerful punch. Stretching her shoulders and cracking her neck, she took a moment to recover.
Seiji caught Riku's body before it hit the ground, gently placing her down. As he stood up, he pulled his katana from its sheath, glaring at Kade with a mix of rage and hatred.
Shinoda Seiji:
"Alys, heal and take care of her while we're gone, okay?"
Alys Celastrina:
"U-uhm- of course!"
Shinoda Seiji:
"Thank you..."
From a distance, Kade emerged from the rubble and trees, his breath heavy from the intense fighting. Stepping off the pile of trees, and the dust clouds cleared. His eyes revealed fully black sclera with green irises and pupils. Impulsively, he stuck his tongue out in excitement from the intense battle he had just experienced.
Luna Emberscraw:
"Oi, Eira, why're his eyes like that?"
Eira Morfiel:
"...I don't know, it seems to be some sort of ocular power or technique, could it be his innate magic?"
Shinoda Seiji(INT):
"He's already grown stronger within the span of 14 minutes."
"His magic could be anything."
Clutching his face, Kade began to laugh maniacally, gazing up at the sky with a joyful expression.
Kade Northwood(INT):
"This world is wonderful! To feel this powerful and young is something I'd never thought to achieve!"
"I wanna feel it!"
"I WANT TO FEEL THE TRUE ESSENCE OF THIS POWER!"
He assumed a slightly crouched fighting stance. The blood and sweat on his face were used to push back and slick his hair.
???:
"Black Javelin."
The group stepped aside, allowing Anyssa to hurl a javelin crafted from dark magic toward Kade. As the javelin approached his face, time seemed to slow down, and the darkness in his eyes gradually transformed into white.
The System:
"LEVEL UP!"
In an instant, Kade swiftly raised both hands to shield his face, deflecting the Black Javelin. An explosion resounded, accompanied by a cloud of dark magic that billowed from the impact site.
Eira Morfiel:
"Phew, I'm glad he's done with."
Luna Emberscraw:
"Nice job, Anyss'."
Shinoda Seiji:
"Alys! How's Riku?"
Alys Celastrina:
"Eh? Uhm, she's doing fine! She's sustained alot of damage, I'd say she'll recover tomorrow."
Shinoda Seiji(INT):
"That's all I needed to hear, thank you Alys, you're of great help."
"I'm still wondering what those eyes of his were about..."
Approaching the dark magic cloud, the group sighed in relief, having successfully subdued Kade with the Black Javelin. However, the swirling dark magic cloud began to move and dissipate faster, catching their attention.
Seiji/Anyssa/Eira/Luna/Alys(INT):
"!!!!!!!!!!!!"
To their surprise, the darkness was converging into Kade's hands, as if he were absorbing it. Rising to his knees, Kade started coughing but forced himself back to his feet, flashing the group a defiant smirk.
Kade Northwood:
"I'm quite lucky, aren't I?"
Anyssa Mosatra(INT):
"What?! My Black Javelin should've subdued him then and there! What did he do?"
Eira Morfiel(INT):
"Could he have negated that? No, I'm sensing his mana pool drastically rising..."
Shinoda Seiji(INT):
"He absorbed it!"
Kade Northwood:
"I hadn't fully grasp my understanding of this world."
"So I will take what I see."
Bright sparks and flashes of lightning emanated from his left hand.
Gripping the radiating energy with his right hand, he shaped and stretched it into a spear. He twirled it with flair, and aimed it at the group.
Kade Northwood:
"Thunder Magic..."
"Lightning Javelin."