"Kill for Kill
Eye for Eye
Blood for Blood
It's time to die.
Retribution tastes so sweet"
-One Thing(Casey Lee Williams)
Note: To understand this story, please read unOrdinary by Uru Chan at Webtoon.
Read the previous chapter here.
"I swear." Cain huffed, staring angrily at his rejected paper on Joker. "Ever since Arlo kicked Cecille out and put Isen in charge, our papers have been getting lamer."
"How so?" Emma asked, fiddling with the tips of her blue hair.
Cain sighed. "Ever since John-- Er, Joker, started his rampage, our writers have been writing articles about him left and write. But all of them have been rejected. If Cecille were still in charge, we'd have at least 3 out on the paper. She's no saint, but she did get the truth out. These days, the press team has been trying to keep each article safe thanks to Isen. What a pussy."
Emma crossed her arms. "It doesn't take Aya reading his mind to know that he knows about John."
"You think Cecille knows about John too? You think that's why she got fired?"
Emma shook her head. "Aya said it's cause she exposed Seraphina being powerless."
She stared out the third floor building, watching as students begin to gather somewhere around the courtyard. "Speaking of Cecille, John is beating the living shit out of her."
The two walked over to a window way closer to the fight. Oliver and Aya were already there watching.
"I guess she doesn't know about John." Cain said.
"On the contrary..." Aya interjected. "...those two are working together."
"It's a show." Oliver added. "A very realistic and brutal show."
Cecille was knocked flat to a wall, watching as John approached her. While it was just a show, being beaten to the floor with her own power embarrassed her.
Aya and Cain looked away as John proceeded to skewer Cecille again and again.
",,,"Cain ruffled his silver hair. "That's just cruel."
"Hey..." Aya looked up. "Do you guys ever miss... Fighting?"
The four looked at each other, tense air building up as the question remained unanswered."
"No." Oliver turned around, the wind blowing through his short, green hair. "I... I don't want that kind of life anymore."
"Same." Emma cracked her knuckles. "I'm... going to head to class. Oli, you mind?"
"Sure." Oli's eyes glowed a tinted grey. His power was active. He pat Emma's shoulder and she vanished. "I'll go on ahead too."
Aya and Cain didn't get a chance to respond as he vanished as well.
"Do you?" Cain asked her.
Aya shook her head. "No... But it's still part of our past. We can't exactly just forget it happened."
She straightened her backpack, waved goodbye to Cain and began to walk away.
"Our past, huh?"
4 years ago...
Cain stood firm, waiting for their opponents to arrive for the turf wars.
Tisca Middle School was a small name among many districts fighting the Turf Wars. But the school was a name to be feared. They were an underground whisper among rookies. Schools they've fought have gone home badly defeated. And none could understand how Tisca's strongest students manage to eliminate them without much effort.
The representatives of Galden Middle arrived with smug grins in their faces.
One of the big mid tier school disctricts
Oliver and Emma had done their research carefully, as always.
A meticulous method in preparing to bring honor to the school.
"So this is the notorious Tisca." Galden's King, Randy, stretched. "Guess we'll be packing this up sooner than I thought."
"He's as arrogant as he is ugly." Aya said under her breathe.
She turned to Tisca's healer, Faust. "You think we'll be coming out of this unscathed?"
"Definitely." She turned to Oliver. "How are we going to do this?"
Oliver stared at Galden's representatives and remembered the data he had gathered.
Kyle
Rank: Ace
Level: 6.0
Power: Mirror Shift
Randy
Rank: King
Level: 5.7
Power: Hail
Eloisa
Rank: Queen
Level: 5.1
Power: Clones
Bernadette
Rank: Jack
Level: 4.4
Power: Pyrokinesis
Ben
Rank: Healer
Level 3.8
Power: Heal
"The only real threat is Kyle. We'll leave our Ace to deal with theirs." Cain nods. "As for the rest... I'd say Emma alone is enough. But I think we all want to have a little fun, don't we?"
They all laughed, surprising Galden's students.
"What's so funny?!" Eloisa shouted. "You think you're better than us?"
"Well..." Aya started.
"Don't worry." Emma interjected. "We were just making chit chat. Let's go with the flush rules."
"You want a rank by rank fight?" Ben asked.
"You got a problem with that?" Cain said.
"Fine! Bring it on!" Kyle shouted. "Jacks! You go first!"
Bernadette and Emma took the stand.
Bernadette's hair was a scorching red and her eyes were burning with the desire to fight. So far from the bored look Emma returned to her and the calm blue hair her aura's color takes after.
"You scared?" She taunted Emma, showing off her flames at her palm.
"Hardly." Emma retorted.
"Begin!" The healers shouted.
As Oliver had predicted in their briefs, it was Bernadette who made the first move. She swung her hands forward, shooting large flames where Emma stood, and causing a burning pillar to erupt at her.
"I think it's safe to say this is over." Randy whispered to Kyle.
"Not yet." Kyle said.
They looked on, watching as the flames died out, and was surprised to find Emma standing there, unscathed.
"H-How..." Bernadette bit her lip and shot fireballs at her.
Emma did not move and was once again engulfed in a large burst of fire.
But instead of waiting for the fire to fizzle out, a straight, blue beam of hard mana shot straight out from the condensed fire.
The surprised Bernadette took a direct hit, flailing to the ground as the force knocks her back.
She stood up, breathing heavily as she burned every limb on her body and ran at Emma.
She ran at Emma, swinging her arms to toss fire at her. Instead of taking it, Emma flicked her wrist and let blast of mana deflect it to the ground. This exchange went on for a while before Bernadette reached her and attempted to scratch her burning nails at Emma.
Emma coated her arm in mana and took the swing with her right arm and earned nothing more than annoyance. Bernadette could not move as Emma held on to her hard. Emma raised her left hand, A particle of Mana charging up. Was it a laser?
"LET GO OF ME YOU BITCH!" Bernadette shouted.
Ben stepped forward. "Stop! This fight is--"
Suddenly, Emma slapped Bernadette's face with her empowered hand, smashing the beam directly at her, and blowing her atleast 10 meters away.
"...over." Ben finished.
Emma dusted sand off her shoulder and watched as the loud woman she had fought earlier crumble to silence.
"That was pathetic." She said so coldly. Their opponents smug aura had diminished. They knew they couldn't take Tisca lightly anymore.
"Bern, are you okay?" Ben knelt next to her, healing the pained women.
"What else you got?" This time, it was Aya who reflected the smugness back at them.
"You're the queen, right?" Eloisa stepped forward. She wanted to say she was being brave, but if their Jack seemed to be at a level much higher then her, then she was afraid of what Tisca's queen could do.
And of course, Aya knew how Eloisa was feeling. After all... No thought was safe from her.
She stepped forward, her hazel eyes glinting to activate her power.
"El, are you sure about this?" Ben asked.
"She's not." Aya said, a smug grin planted at her face.
"Shut up." Eloisa retorted. Aya rolled her eyes. "I can beat you. You're nothing."
Aya smirked at the empty words. "Prove it."
Eloisa's turquoise eyes glinted. Suddenly, she multiplied and ran at Aya.
Aya feigned surprise as the clones surrounded her.
As they closed in,she let out a loud shriek as she shrank inside clones that engulfed her.
"Just all talk after all." Eloisa said.
She was about to deactivate her powers when she noticed something strange about her clones.
They all backed up and lined up in a uniform straight line.
"Did you really think I'd scream from something like this?" Aya stood up from the spot she had seemingly been crushed.
She clenched her hand and half the clones were crushed by an invisible force and vanished.
Eloisa winced. She does not take much damage when her clones as attacked or destroyed. But the sheer number was enough to inflict some pain.
Aya flicked her hand and the remaining clones flew right at her.
Eloisa quickly deactivated her power, causing the clones to disappear, and reactivate it. around 3 clones appeared at Aya's sides.
But as they attempt to grapple her, they are pushed aside.
Aya began walking towards Eloisa.
Eloisa swung her arms, causing a clone to shoot forward out of nowhere.
Another fruitless attack.
As Aya closed in, Eloisa tried again. But she found her hand unable to move.
Aya grabbed her by the cheeks. "It's over."
Eloisa's eyes widened, wondering what Aya would do to her next.
Was she going to toss her to the air and bang her again and again until all her bones are broken?
Aya leaned in, closing her face into her ear.
The others couldn't quite hear what she said, but Cain knew it was their victory.
After a while, Aya released her and Eloisa calmly lowered her hands.
Her eyes were dull and deprived of any spirit.
"I surrender." She said so monotonously.
Kyle and Randy were wide eyed as the most ambitious person they knew surrendered.
"But... Why?" Ben asked.
"I..." And suddenly, she passed out.
"Flashy wins are nice and all, but this is far more humiliating." Aya announced. She winked and gave a peace sign. "That's 2-0 now!"
Randy looked at Oliver next. Oliver returned the gaze with a calculating glare.
He wanted to say he felt a shiver run down his spine, but his passive prevents any form of temperature or shiver to bother his skin. The past two students were terrifying on their own. What could the king of Tisca do? What was this monster capable of?
For a moment, he felt fear as he stepped forward to fight.
But he looked back at his friends. Bernadette, their most enthusiastic fighter beaten in a one sided battle. Eloisa, conceding from a simple whisper.
He felt burning rage. He was not going to allow this unknown school shame them, a popular mid tier school.
He glared back, his purple eyes glinting to show that he activated his powers.
"Come on then!"
He swung his arms back, ready to shoot ice forward at him.
Olivers eyes glinted green and suddenly vanished.
With a simple shove, Randy fell to the ground. It wasn't even a powerful push.
Was it super speed? No. It was instant.
"Teleportation." He muttered. It was far more simple compared to their Queen and Jack. Their school had teleporters too. They were pushovers.
How did he become king?! He thought.
He couldn't even make his next move when Oliver vanished and appeared 5 feet above him.
He smashed his foot right at Randy's gut.
"You asshole!" Randy swung his hand, a flurry of ice shot forward at Oliver. Or at least, where Oliver was.
Oliver had teleported backward and cartwheeled away.
"I know how you teleporters work." Randy exclaimed proudly. "I'm not letting you move for another second."
Oliver said nothing as Randy pointed straight for Oliver's feet.
Ice suddenly encased them and seemingly immobilized his movements. A limitation that most teleporters in Galden had.
"You're dead!" He raised his arms and a hailstorm shot straight at Oliver. He saw the wind hit Oiver's face and blow right through his hair. But something was wrong.
Where was the ice?
Oliver pointed up, revealing the hail had been teleported right above Randy's head.
As Randy looked up, his own attack fell straight at him and pelted his body.
As the flurry ended, Randy looked forward and prepared to attack with more caution. But Oliver was already gone. The ice that encased Oliver was all that's left.
"You really shouldn't lump me with the losers at your school."
Oliver appeared in front of Randy. "I've gone way past the limitations of your average teleporter."
"How did you--" Randy raised his fist, trying to strike Oliver.
But he vanished, teleporting right behind him.
"But that's okay." Oliver pat him in the back. "Many people make the same mistake."
"Wh--" Randy suddenly found himself 20 feet into the air.
He screamed, terrified as he began to descend to the ground.
"Randy!" Ky;e shouted.
"This is way too much!" Ben shouted. "Stop! He's had enough."
Oliver turned his head to the Galden's healer. Perhaps he was more reasonable. "Your king's a big boy. If he really is a high tier, then he can scrape himself out of this one." Oliver looked up, a cold smile planted on his face. "Right? King of Galden!"
The terrified king lost all fear and screamed at Oliver. "DON'T MOCK ME!"
Randy shot a giant block of ice at him.
Oliver simply teleported a meter away.
The top ends of the ice is weak and filled with some water. Randy thought. I can cushion myself with this. The ice and water won't hurt me.
Oliver rubbed his chin and touched the ice. "We can't have this now, can we?"
The ice vanished and teleported right above Randy. The block adhered to gravity and quickly rammed Randy from the back. The shock and pain was so intense that Randy lost any form of composure and passed out as he descended straight to the ground.
"HOLY SHIT!" Kyle couldn't keep his composure as he watched his best friend plummet with a giant block of ice slamming him down. "PLEASE! NO! STOP! HE MIGHT NOT SURVIVE!"
Oliver gave him a bored look and looked to Cain.
Cain shrugged.
"I beg you!" Kyle knelt. "Teleport him to the ground."
Oliver looked at him, watching as Galden's ace try to bargain for his King's life.
"Fine." Oliver vanished and teleported Randy to the ground safely.
"Thank you..." Kyle exhaled in relief. "Thank you so mu--"
Suddenly, the ice fell right at Randy.
"I never said I was going to teleport the ice out of the way."
The ace looked dumbfounded. Lost for words as he tried to process the cruelty of Tisca's king had just displayed before he walked back to his team.
"How could you be so evil?" He suddenly said to Oliver. "Why would you do that?"
"I'd hardly call what I did evil compared to your team brutalizing people with burns, bruises,, psychological assault, and frosbite before sending them to the hospital." Oliver retorted.
"It's the way Turf War works." Emma added. "Eat or be eaten. Isn't that what you said to our friends from Hallingway?"
"And now it's my turn." Cain stepped forward and waited as Galden's ace tried to gain composure. He was kneeling by the ice where his friend was buried. While the block's temperature would not affect him, the weight had surely inflicted tremendous damage.
"Fine. I'll teach you a lesson." Kyle almost never stepped in. But this was one fight he could not afford to lose.
But Kyle was much more cautious than his friends. He activated his powers, watching as his opponent did the same.
They both stood their, knowing that whoever made the first move would give himself a disadvantage.
What was his power? He asked himself.
"If you're not going to attack, then I will!" Cain ran forward, his hand clenched to a fist. Was he.... Was he going to punch me?
Kyle sidestepped.
He felt a little dizzy as he focused his power.
A long shard of mirror appeared from his arm and shot straight at Cain.
Cain moved his head back, narrowly evading the attack.
He looked up, surprised to find that the Galden's ace had vanished. So did everyone else. He's been trapped in a circle of mirrors.
So this is Mirror Shift. He thought to himself.
Suddenly, Kyle appeared out of one side and tried slicing at him. He disappeared as he reached atone end.
"I see." Kyle shot half his body forward from a mirror and attempted to slice Cain with his hand that has shifted into a mirror shard.
Cain did not move and raised his hand at the attack.
"You'll be losing an arm today!" He shouted.
But where he should have felt blood splashing from Cain's skin, he only felt Cain's grip on his wrist.
"Huh?" The other half of his body appeared as the mirrors vanished. Everyone reappeared.
"Checkmate."
"But how..." He scowled and raised his other hand and attempted to form another mirror shard. It took quite a while as his eyes glinted intensely.
Cain gripped his wrist harder. The glint in Kyle's eyes vanished as did his mirror shard.
Cain kneed him on the gut and slammed him to the ground.
Kyle was still conscious and had energy. But he couldn't activate his powers anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he only got dizzy.
"Be thankful I'm far merciful than my friends." He kicked Galden's ace. "Well, maybe not that Merciful."
He turned to the Tisca team. "Let's go."
They had left the badly beaten Galden to their healer and went off to report their victory.
At the time, they thought that this fighting wouldn't be much. But...
Present time.
As nice as it is to be respected like that. Cain thought to himself, looking down at his rejected report. It's just not worth what we almost lost.
He watched as John walk away from Cecille.
"Maybe we're a lot more like John than we think..."
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