The next second, Mia's fingers, sharp as blades, plunged into the artery in her opponent's neck.
Emily's face froze in an expression of sheer terror. Her mouth opened as if to say sothing, but all that ca out was a gush of blood.
Another body collapsed at Mia's feet.
"What happens… if it hits 100%?"
A deep, magnetic voice suddenly spoke near her ear.
She turned her head and saw Ethan's handso face.
Ethan had already noticed the peculiar detail on her wrist and couldn't help but ask, his curiosity piqued.
Mia smiled faintly. "I'd probably die."
The bracelet she wore was a custom device created by researchers. It was linked to her pain receptors, monitoring the maximum level of pain her body could endure.
If it ever reached 100%, it would unlock Mia's strongest state—but it would also an the end of her life.
anwhile…
Sean was locked in combat with an Awakener who had condensed a crystal core. His opponent was a brute with enhanced strength, wielding a massive alloy battle axe that weighed several tons, yet he swung it as if it were weightless.
The axe whistled through the air, aiming straight for Sean with devastating force.
"Damn it! Mia's already 'paid her debt' to Ethan. Guess it's my turn…"
Sean's sharp eyes darted around, calculating his next move. Suddenly, his body crackled with energy. His previously lean fra bulked up, muscles swelling as his physique beca noticeably more powerful.
This was Sean's Awakener ability: Fearless Berserk.
While it drastically reduced his intelligence, it massively boosted all his physical attributes.
Sean's once sharp and calculating expression now bordered on vacant, almost dumb. But as the giant axe ca hurtling toward him, he didn't flinch. Instead, he raised his fist to et it head-on.
CLANG!
The sound of tal reverberated through the air. The axe's handle bent under the impact, warping out of shape. Even the strength-enhanced Awakener wielding it couldn't withstand the shock—his hands split open at the seams, blood dripping from his palms. The pain forced him to release the weapon, and the axe went flying.
"What the…?"
The man's face twisted in disbelief.
He hadn't expected Sean to be this strong.
Before he could recover, Sean was already in front of him. With a single, devastating punch to the chest, the sound of bones shattering echoed in the air. The man's entire skeleton seed to collapse inward, his body contorting grotesquely as he was sent flying like a broken rag doll.
"Got him!" Sean said, clenching his fist triumphantly.
The small fry from the Black Hand Legion were no match for Mia and her team. The two sides weren't even in the sa league. After all, Mia and her group were Awakeners from Refuge #001—the strongest of their kind.
Even Chris and the other three team mbers worked seamlessly together. Ard with alloy blades, they ford a tactical formation and engaged several Awakeners who had condensed Neurocores.
It didn't take long before they took down two of them.
"Goddamn it! They're this strong?!"
Gideon, who had been sent flying earlier, struggled to sit up from the pile of rubble he'd landed in. He looked around and realized two of his strongest fighters had already been killed.
What made it worse was Mia. She wasn't even fully engaged in the fight—she was casually chatting with Ethan, the two of them laughing and talking like they were catching up over coffee.
It was clear they didn't see him as a threat at all.
A wave of panic washed over Gideon. It felt like a steel spike was pressing against his forehead, a constant reminder that death was looming over him. The thought of escape crept into his mind.
But he knew there was no way he could outrun Mia.
Then, he rembered—there were still three of his n upstairs, guarding the hostages from the refuge.
"That's my last card to play!"
With that, Gideon leapt to the second floor in a single bound.
Back on the first floor, Gideon's remaining n were already struggling to hold their ground. When they saw their leader abandon them, despair set in. A single thought echoed in their minds:
"Son of a bitch!"
Monts later, Chris and the others cut them down one by one.
The battle on the first floor was over.
Ethan hadn't lifted a finger. After all, these were just small fry—not worth his effort. He was content to watch from the sidelines.
"Here! Take these!"
Sean walked over, holding a crystal core and several Neurocores, and handed them to Ethan.
Ethan glanced at him. "Isn't this a bit much?"
"Nope! The dean used to tell us when we were kids, 'A small act of kindness can change soone's life.' You gave bread when I was starving, so I owe you big ti!" Sean said with conviction, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ethan didn't argue further and accepted the crystal core and Neurocores.
...
Upstairs, in the second-floor lobby…
What was once a bustling karaoke bar was now eerily empty. The air was thick with tension.
In the center of the room, three people knelt on the floor, trembling. They were bound with iron chains, muffled cries escaping from behind the tape covering their mouths.
Gideon ripped the tape off their mouths, intending to use their pleas for help as leverage. Maybe, just maybe, if Mia had a soft spot, she'd let him go.
It wasn't long before Ethan and the others arrived.
"Mia! Please save ! I don't want to die! Please!" one of the hostages wailed, tears streaming down his face.
"Stay back! Don't co any closer, or I'll kill them right now!" Gideon barked, his voice sharp and desperate.
"Huh?" Mia tilted her head, her gaze shifting to the hostages.
The three captives were trembling uncontrollably, their cries for help growing louder. They were utterly terrified, on the verge of breaking down.
Ethan, as usual, stayed back, watching the scene unfold with mild curiosity. He wanted to see how Mia would handle this situation.
Mia, hearing Gideon's threat, actually stopped in her tracks. She didn't move forward but instead stood still, her expression thoughtful as if she were calculating sothing.
"Hmm… saving one Awakener and bringing them back to the refuge would get two cans of at. But killing Gideon would earn a crystal core. No matter how I look at it… killing him is the better deal."
Gideon noticed Mia's hesitation and assud his threat had worked. A smug grin spread across his face.
People from the refuge, he thought, were so bound by their rules and regulations. They were used to being controlled, and it made them predictable. Pathetic, really.
"Heh, your superiors must've ordered you to save people, right?" Gideon sneered.
"Yeah," Mia replied with a small nod, not bothering to deny it.
Gideon's grin widened. "Good! Then let us go, and I'll let you take these three with you."
"That won't be necessary," Mia said, her voice calm. "Because… I don't follow orders." Enjoy exclusive content from empire
"What?"
Gideon froze, his smugness evaporating in an instant. He realized what she ant.
Even the three hostages looked stunned, their faces blank with confusion. For a mont, they thought they were saved. But now, their hopes plumted, crashing into despair.
Before anyone could react, Mia made her move. In a flash, her figure blurred as she darted forward with lightning speed.
Gideon clenched his jaw, his body tensing under the imnse pressure. But desperation fueled his resolve, and he roared with fury.
"Brothers! Fight to the death!"
He spat the words through gritted teeth, slashing his hand down in a decisive motion. His blade sliced toward the hostages—if he was going to die, he'd take a few with him.
"Yeah! Fight to the death!" his three subordinates echoed, their voices filled with defiance. They were all Awakeners who had condensed crystal cores, and their combined strength was nothing to scoff at.
BOOM!
The fight erupted in an instant. Mia clashed with Gideon head-on, their fists colliding with a deafening impact. The sheer force sent Gideon flying, smashing through two walls of private karaoke rooms before he finally ca to a stop.
But Gideon's tallic skin absorbed most of the damage. He crawled out of the rubble, relatively unscathed, and charged at Mia again.
anwhile, Sean was locked in combat with Gideon's three subordinates. The trio worked together seamlessly, using their agility and coordination to keep Sean occupied. For now, they managed to hold their ground, preventing him from gaining the upper hand.
The entire lobby descended into chaos. Tiles shattered, walls crumbled, and waves of energy rippled through the air.
Chris and the other three team mbers stayed back, standing behind Ethan. This was a battle between Awakeners who had condensed crystal cores—at their Neurocore stage, they weren't qualified to join in.
Among all the chaos, the fight between Mia and Gideon was the most intense.
No matter how many tis Mia sent Gideon flying, he always got back up, like an indestructible cockroach. His defensive abilities were formidable, and Mia's strength, which relied on her pain threshold, wasn't enough to break through his defenses. For now, she couldn't deal any significant damage.
"Tch… if that's the case, I'll have to use the old thod," Mia muttered, her eyes narrowing.
There were plenty of ways to increase her pain threshold. The simplest? Self-harm.
Back when she was in the psychiatric hospital, she'd done it countless tis.
Just as she was about to act, a voice called out from behind her.
"Hey, don't bother…"
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