It felt as if a god had intervened.
For one suspended heartbeat, the world stopped moving. Rain drummed relentlessly against broken marble and twisted steel, each drop echoing through the hollow plaza like a ticking clock counting down the end of something. The violent concussive force of Shin Lu's attack lingered in the air, a pressure that clung to the lungs and made every breath feel heavy.
-
The three hundred meters between the shattered mall entrance and the chaos behind them suddenly felt impossibly vast. Jane dragged Porpo forward, both of them slipping through pooled rainwater as they forced their bodies to keep moving. Lynis stumbled beside Jagger, both men pushing each other onward, hands gripping shoulders and forearms whenever one faltered. The storm swallowed their footsteps, masking the frantic rhythm of survival.
Lynis ripped the makeshift car-door shield from his arm and flung it aside. The metal slammed against the ground with a hollow crash, disappearing into the floodwater as he freed himself from the weight dragging him down.
Jagger glanced back.
The Razorfur alpha loomed behind him, its massive jaws open wide enough to swallow his head whole. Its breath crashed against the back of his neck, hot and foul, thick with the smell of rot and blood. Every instinct screamed at him to run faster, but his legs felt like they belonged to someone else.
Then the world shattered.
He did not hear the spear.
He felt it.
A violent shockwave slammed into his chest, ripping the air from his lungs and forcing a strangled gasp from his throat. His ears rang as blue-white light tore across the plaza like a streak of lightning given physical form. The sheer force of it knocked him off balance, his grip on Lynis failing as his boots slipped on the slick marble. He crashed down hard, water splashing around him as he skidded across the ground.
The alpha wolf staggered, a deep, brutal gash carved along its ribcage. Blood mixed with rainwater, running in dark rivulets down its side as it let out a wounded, furious whine.
The second wolf was gone.
Jagger stared in stunned disbelief as its body flew backward through the storm, skull shattered in a single instant. It slammed into the fountain wall with a sickening crack, collapsing into a broken heap of fur and blood. There had been no struggle, no exchange. It was execution. It was absolute dominance.
Silence followed.
Not true silence, but the kind that crushed the mind. The rain resumed its relentless fall, each drop louder now that the thunder of power had passed.
Jagger tried to crawl backward, his palms slipping on the wet stone as his body trembled uncontrollably. This was not exhaustion. It was awe. He had seen skills before, chaotic bursts of survival, desperate attempts to stay alive. But this was different. This was the overwhelming gap between someone who survived and someone who ruled this new world.
"Holy shit…" Porpo breathed, her voice barely audible over the storm as Jane pulled her toward the entrance.
"JAGGER, GET UP!" Lynis shouted, his voice cutting through the haze.
Jagger forced himself upright, legs shaking violently as he stumbled after them. "Fuck me…" he whispered under his breath, chest tight with a new realization that hit harder than any blow. 'I'm weak.' The thought carved itself into his mind with brutal clarity. 'I'm so fucking weak.'
They reached the entrance at last.
Shin Lu's spear dissolved into faint light as he lowered his arm, his posture relaxed as though the devastating display had required no effort at all. Rain slid down his armor and scarred face, but his expression remained calm, unreadable.
"Aiko," he said evenly, eyes following the retreating wolves. "Have one of the scouts keep an eye on that beast. We will hunt it at dawn."
Aiko nodded once, her face hard and composed. "Yes, sir." She turned and hurried into the building, boots striking against marble with sharp purpose.
Jane and Porpo collapsed against the pillars flanking the entrance, backs pressed against cold stone as they struggled to breathe. Their chests rose and fell rapidly, exhaustion catching up with them all at once.
"That was… close," Jane muttered, voice strained but steady.
Shin Lu's gaze swept over them, sharp and assessing. "You look like you have been through hell."
Lynis leaned heavily against the opposite wall, panting, rainwater dripping from his hair and jaw. "Chibai… you could say that," he wheezed, forcing a crooked grin despite the fatigue dragging at him.
"You tried to fight an elite threat, Razorfur wolves like those in the open, in this storm," Shin Lu questioned, "Where are you guys even coming from?"
"Like hell we would, we didn't even see them coming," Jane said after a few deep breaths, meeting his eyes without flinching. "We're from a camp near Dempsey Hill,"
"Dempsey…" he murmured, nodding slowly. "Three clicks from here. You ran all the way in this storm?"
Jane gave a short nod.
Jagger arrived last, dragging himself up the short set of stairs on hands and knees before collapsing onto the ground in a soaked heap. His lungs burned, each breath scraping painfully through his chest as rain pooled beneath him.
"You have guts coming out here," Shin Lu said, attention shifting to him. "How did you know we were here?"
"Our camp leader send us one," Lynis added, finally catching enough breath to speak clearly. "He hear your radio transmission already. Didn't expect people still know how to use this kind of thing, lah."
Shin Lu studied them in silence. His mismatched eyes lingered on each face, weighing, measuring, as though cataloging strengths and weaknesses without a word.
"We're resourceful," he said.
Two towering figures approached from behind him. Ren and Ken loomed like living walls, their massive frames casting long shadows beneath the flickering lights.
"Boss?" Ren's deep voice rumbled.
"It is alright," Shin Lu replied. "They are guests." He glanced at Ken. "Both of you, prepare to shut the doors."
"Sure, boss."
He turned back toward the group. "Let's head in, yo…"
"How… hOw did yOu dO iT?"
The question burst from Jagger before he could stop himself. He was still on all fours, soaked and shaking, eyes fixed on the man who had ended the fight with a single throw.
Shin Lu paused and looked down at him. "Do what?"
"That… the spear," Jagger stammered, mimicking the throwing motion with his wrist.
"It is a skill," Shin Lu said flatly.
Jagger bit down hard on the frustration rising in his chest. 'I know it's a fucking skill, you dipshit.' The words stayed locked behind his teeth. Challenging the man who had just saved their lives would be beyond stupid.
Shin Lu saw the hunger in his eyes. The desperation. The raw need for power. For survival. He said nothing more about it.
"Come," he said at last, turning toward the dark interior of the mall. "Let's get you inside. I have a few questions for you all."
The heavy doors began to shift behind them as they crossed the threshold, sealing the storm outside while a new chapter of uncertainty waited within.