"Strong... very strong..."
With that, Henry finally went unconscious.
His body slumped and lost all tension, sinking deeper into Missio's embrace. The Lieutenant General grimaced and gently placed his friend down.
Wiping the blood off his sleeves, he furrowed his brows and concentrated on Henry's body. Suddenly, his pupils gleamed and allowed him to see his teammate's entire skeletal system.
The world was drowned in black and only Henry's white skeleton could be seen in his vision, alongside softer tissues which were colored in varying shades of grey – like a true X-ray.
The Lieutenant General drew a deep breath and went over his coworker's injuries.
'Broken ribs... slightly damaged spine... internal bleeding...'
As the Bereft counted, his frown grew deeper. Eventually, he deactivated his X-ray vision and stood up. Spinning around, he scowled as he saw Sun's figure standing above Mary's unconscious body.
The Drug Lord swayed slightly, still drowsy from the tranquilizer Krishna had shot at him. Realizing he had underestimated the target's power, Missio clicked his tongue and called out to Krishna:
"Krishna! Activate your attribute!"
Krishna lowered his gun and stood up, reaching into the very depths of his awakened soul. Suddenly, an unnoticeable change occurred to the surrounding space-time.
It was as if another layer had been added to it.
"Done!"
Krishna shouted while backing away from the door.
Missio nodded, clenching his hands into fists. With a determined expression, he took one step towards Sun's figure while pressing his finger against his earbud.
"Attention all teams! The Target's power has been severely underestimated. Retreat from your designated posts and hide until I give the command to come out."
Sun chuckled, almost having recovered from the effects of the tranquilizer.
"Well, that's some advanced language..."
Missio scowled as he neared the Drug Lord's figure.
"Also, perform first-aid on the injured personnel immediately."
As soon as Missio finished speaking, Sun pulled his fist back and swung it with minimal power, afraid to cripple the man in front of him. However, to his surprise, Missio caught his fist with relative ease and delivered a strike to Sun's abdomen with inhumane speed.
The Drug Lord buckled, gasping as he staggered backward. But Missio didn't even give him a chance to breath.
Another fist shot towards Sun's face. However, the Drug Lord lowered his body, barely avoiding the strike.
Missio's fist met the wall... and shattered it.
Sun's eyes widened in bewilderment as the wall collapsed and let the rain in. At the same time, the lights flickered and gave out, leaving them in total darkness.
Left in the dark, Sun grimaced as he felt cold air rushing into his room. His enemy's figure stood above him, his scarlet eyes burning with repressed fury. Sun steeled his body, preparing for another attack.
However, that attack didn't come. Instead, there was a question.
"Are you a Chaos Incarnate?"
Sun froze and then frowned.
'...What the hell? Why is he asking questions in the middle of a fight?!'
Hesitating for a few moments, he finally said in a hush tone:
"I... don't know."
The Operator paused for a moment and asked:
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Sun exhaled, feeling his heart pressing against his ribcage and said in ragged voice:
"I never awakened so, I wouldn't know if I'm an Incarnate."
His opponent paused once again, contemplating something. After a few tense moments though, a sigh escaped from him as he stated in an even tone:
"Then, one must wonder how you are this powerful without being one. That or you're lying."
Sun opened his mouth, wanting to refute the Operator. Before he could though, Missio dashed towards him and tried to deliver another punch.
However, Sun caught Missio's hand and a wicked smile appeared on his face the very next second. He twisted the Lieutenant General's arm and threw him outside – into the rain.
Lightning tore through the sky as two men stepped onto the wet streets of Kharagen. Thunder howled across the city as they stared each other down.
Sun pressed his feet against the ground and dashed forward. Missio's eyes widened as he tried to stand up. However, the Drug Lord was already upon him.
Missio groaned as Sun's fist met his abdomen. The Drug Lord grinned and pulled his hand back, already swinging his other arm. Missio intercepted that strike, pushing Sun's fist down.
Raising his knee, he dragged Sun's face towards himself with his other hand. The next second, his knee and Sun's face connected. A muffled groan escaped the Drug Lord lips as he rose.
However, Missio didn't give him any chances, lunging at him like a predator. He swept Sun off his feet, causing the Drug Lord to fall onto his butt. Pressing his feet against the ground, Missio tried to rush forward but... slipped.
The Lieutenant General's eyes widened as he staggered before falling beside Sun. Neither moved for a few seconds, each processing something else...
Eventually, they distanced themselves from one another and stood up. Their gazes met even though they were shrouded in total darkness.
One whose pupils gleamed like the stars.
One whose pupils seemed to contain the blue sky.
A few second passed in tense silence... then, another bolt of lightning tore through the heavens.
Both their figures exploded and clashed the very next instant.
Their fists moved inconceivably fast for any mundane person to follow. The ground broke under the pressure of their feet and the walls crumbled under the force of their individual strikes.
Their fists swelled with power, sometimes missing their target, sometimes not. Their bodies were filled with pain – pain neither of them had felt in a long time.
Their muscles screamed at them to stop and their body shuddered with each strike they endured.
Eventually though, as adrenaline rushed through their battered bodies... both fighters entered a state of extreme clarity.
Suddenly, their minds shut off the outside world and concentrated on the fight alone. Time seemed to move ever so slowly as each and every movements seemed to become natural as breathing.
It was all too easy...
It was all like a fleeting dream...
Nevertheless, their bout continued and Sun... Sun was losing this bout.
It wasn't a matter of strength, speed or even endurance– Missio and Sun were relatively equal in those areas.
The only thing separating them was technique and experience.
And Missio was far more skilled and experienced than Sun.
The only reason the Lieutenant General couldn't seem to bring him down was because of Sun's strange vitality. The Drug Lord seemed to be recovering from each strike faster than Missio was.
In fact, his nose had somehow stopped bleeding!
Missio was appalled by this since he had put all his strength into that strike. He was sure he had broken the man's nose. However, Sun's nose hadn't only stopped bleeding but even seemed to be slowly regaining its original shape.
However, he didn't pay that much attention. It may have been an effect of the latter's attribute which Missio sure he was hiding.
'He has to be an Incarnate. Otherwise, this kind of strength is impossible... Moreover, his attribute can be something that enhances his physical might and heal his bodily injuries!'
That was the only logical conclusion Missio had reached since, there were no people who would contend with Missio's physical might.
However, there were a few who dwarfed him entirely.
He didn't focus on that trail of thought, jumping back into the Battle.
Sun's attribute may make him able to contend with Missio... but Missio still held the advantage in terms of skill.
And soon enough, that difference was shown as Missio struck Sun one last time, sending him flying into a nearby wall and shattering it in the process.