SYSTEM ASCENSION

”Speaking of that time, remember Number Twenty?”

”Hah...” One of them laughed. ”How could I forget?”

”That brat was something else. I still remember when they brought him in.”

The oldest scratched his beard. ”Didn’t look older than... What... thirteen? Twelve maybe.”

”Nah. Younger. He was estimated to be around nine years of age. He was small too. Often mistaken as a girl. Pretty as a boy too.”

Another guard chuckled. ”They said he had regeneration. Thought it was bullshit, so we tested it.”

They all laughed.

”We chopped his hand clean off, and the damn thing grew back. I nearly pissed myself.”

One whistled.

”Then Captain said...” He deepened his voice. ”Don’t damage him anymore. He’s worth more alive.”

The guards burst into laughter again.

”He was crying so much. He had two friends too.”

”Oh yeah.”

”The loud one kept trying to bite people, so we drained him dry, shriveled into a corpse. And the girl? Same thing. It took less than a minute. They had great vital energy. We tested them and there were A rankers.”

The youngest shook his head.

”Damn.”

”So Number Twenty was next?”

”Nah. They cut another arm off. I watched it regenerate. Packed him in chains and sent him upstairs for experiments.”

A short silence followed.

”...Wonder if he’s still alive.”

The oldest shrugged.

”Who knows. Even if he is, he’s probably more of a monster than a human by now.”

A calm voice answered from behind them. ”I suppose that depends on your definition of a monster.”

Every guard froze and their smiles vanished.

One by one, they turned around.

A man stood in the darkness, hands still inside his pockets. The dim lantern light revealed calm green eyes.

”...Who are you?”

Zeal tilted his head.

”Hm.” He looked genuinely thoughtful. ”I did wonder if anyone would remember.”

One guard drew his sword.

”How did you get in here?!”

Zeal ignored the question. Instead, he glanced around the corridor as though inspecting an old home.

”The walls are newer. The cages moved. The smell hasn’t changed. I guess you all are dumb enough to rebuild in the same place after the last time. He didn’t destroy enough I see. Damn old man.”

His smile widened slightly.

”And I’m still popular after all these years.”

The youngest frowned.

”...What?”

Zeal’s eyes settled on him.

”You asked whether Number Twenty was still alive. I figured...”

He slowly withdrew one hand from his pocket, and pulled down his collar, revealing the number.

”...I’d answer personally.”

They sank back.

”Number twenty?!”

He frowned, eyes shining with ring lights as he activated his ability. ”It’s Zeal.” And stretched his hand. ”Forward and reverse.”

Two guards detonated immediately, blood and guts spilling on the rest. Their eyes twitched as they glanced down.

”...what...”

”My target at once had increased. It’s all a work of the mind you see.”

”What did you...”

”It means, I can kill all of you, just by staring.”

They stepped back.

”Sound the alarm,”

One tripped over a decapitated foot and fell down. The second ran.

”Sound the alarm—!”

”Catch!” Zeal’s cheerful voice sounded.

He glanced back and saw something Zeal had kicked flying at him with incredible speed. He caught it on reflex before checking and realising that it was the head of the one who had tripped.

”Aaarrrggghhh!”

”Ssshh...” Zeal’s hand tapped his face before he could blink and that was the last thing he saw.

A moment of silence followed.

Then,

”ABILITY ACTIVATE!”

”Huh?” He glanced sideways.

Dozens of magic circles bloomed.

Fire. Ice. Lightning. Wind.

The cramped tunnel became a storm of destruction. The floor ruptured beneath Zeal, and the walls collapsed. The entire passage disappeared beneath explosions.

One of the new guards laughed nervously.

”Got him. There is no way he’ll survive that.”

”...No.” The oldest man’s voice trembled. ”If he’s who I think he is...”

Footsteps.

Crunch.

Crunch.

A silhouette emerged through the smoke, not a single scratch on his body, but hair extremely long, and hand knitting back into existence.

”I cut this hair today. Damn it.”

Zeal brushed a pebble from his shoulder.

”You burnt off my clothes too. It’s been a while I have stayed naked in public. This is embarrassing.”

The smoke curled away from him.

The oldest guard’s sword was shaking.

”...Ability...activate—”

He interrupted. ”Forward.”

The two ice-mages on the left were suddenly shaking and gasping. Wrinkles tore across their faces and their hair went white. Their skin sagged and eyes sunk in.

”Bye. Bye.”

In 2 seconds they were dust, turning into a bag of bones and crumbling to ash.

”That’s one way to retire.” Zeal tilted his head.

”Attack!”

Arrows. Spells. Bullets. Attacks rained at him.

”Reverse.”

Everything in the air jerked backwards. The arrows flew back into the bows. The fireballs returned into the mages’ hands and exploded. One guard yelped as the sword flew out of his hand. He managed to dodge and it flew back into the rack 10 meters away.

”Annoying.”

Zeal took a step forward. Barefoot over glass. He spread his arms and yelled at the top of his voice.

”Come at me! All at once.”

Like a spell, they all attacked.

”Yes! Yes!” He grinned and moved.

Some swung swords, but everything reserved, and anyone he touched either aged or reserved out of existence.

He fought some of the members, and detonated a massive number of them, painting the field in a gruesome colour.

A guard fell on his knees, crying. ”Please, we were just following orders. It was never—”

Zeal crouched in front of him and patted his head. ”I was nine.” He said in a soft voice. ”You cut my hand off, to see if it grew back.”

”I—I didn’t—”

”Forward and Reverse.”

The guard’s eyes went wide. He exploded, painting the league master’s face in red.

”That’s the intruder!” More approached him, carrying weapons.

He turned to them and cracked his fingers. As they charged at him, he went at them. They didn’t have time to follow. Some found themselves swinging the same move a dozen times and some were decapitated before they saw him move. The field blurred into screams and confused yelling. It only ended when he exploded the head of the last one.

”That was surprisingly too easy.”

”Find him!” A voice yelled.

Zeal glanced back. His silhouette became misty, and he went sheath mode.

The people soon appeared in sight. There were five of them, holding a strange weapon he had only seen in one place, so how it got here made him confused. The devices had lasers searching around for him.

”Is that a gun?” He appeared behind one.

The person turned around blindly and shot him.

He slowed the time and caught the bullet. Going sheath mode again, he looked at the purple bullet.

”This is not the same as what I saw.”

”Where is he?!”

”Detonate.”

Everyone in sight froze. With a forced twitch, they exploded, spilling guts and remains all over.

”That should be all...” Zeal turned off the sheath mode and looked around.

He slightly staggered. ”Did I use it too much?”

For a moment, the field was empty, and just a naked man standing in the middle.

He raised his hand and brushed his hair behind his head.

”Aaah....”

He looked up at the purple sky.

”I’m here. I did it. Richard.”