Shin’s vision got dark at the edges, breath coming in ragged bursts that scraped his throat raw. Every nerve scread. Every muscle trembled. He could feel his strength leaking away with each heartbeat.
Then he felt a pulse. His heartbeat accelerated, and his body regained strength to fight. Finally, his secondary system was fully awakened.
Sakuraba still held him by the hair, tilting his head like a hunter examining wounded prey.
"Heroes die first, you know." He said.
Shin’s fingers twitched. With a hoarse shout, he drove his fist upward into Sakuraba’s ribs. His enemy, who had arrogantly lowered his defense, felt the full force of the blow.
Sakuraba was forced to take several steps back, his vision wavering. "I didn’t expect you would still have an ace up your sleeve," he murmured.
Shin dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach, yet he could feel it now, a faint but undeniable surge moving through him like fire in his blood.
Lines of light shimred across his vision.
[Secondary system fully unlocked]
[Designation confird: Perfect Soldier System]
[Initial Skills Granted]
[Soldier Will: Increases combat output in life-or-death situations. The greater the threat to the user’s life, the greater the effect.]
[Master of Weapons: Increases the effectiveness of any weapon wielded by the user. Effect applies to both weapon mastery and attack power.]
Shin swallowed, lungs burning. His skills were insanely good. He forced himself upright, hands shaking as they reached behind his back.
"Girls, we don’t have ti for talking, just run," he rasped.
Yumi, Ange, and Aiko didn’t hesitate. They wanted to help, but it was obvious they would get in the way.
Sakuraba watched everything unfold with an arrogant smile. Certain he would co out on top, he allowed himself the luxury of simply observing for a mont.
Shin seized the opportunity to grab his pistols and point them at his enemy. Sakuraba, obviously, didn’t try to dodge; he just watched Shin, wondering if the boy had the power to hurt him.
Gunfire exploded through the ruined hall.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The shots struck Sakuraba’s torso and shoulder. This ti, blood appeared. However, they were nothing more than scratches.
Sakuraba glanced down at his jacket, now marked with small crimson streaks.
"I see, so you evolved from a germ to an ant."
Before Shin could fire again, Sakuraba blurred forward. His fist smashed into Shin’s ribs and hurled him backward across the floor. Pain detonated through his chest, and sothing inside him cracked.
Shin coughed violently, nearly dropping the pistols. However, the pain only made him stronger. Counterintuitively, as his body neared collapse, his strength peaked.
He steadied himself, watching Sakuraba approach slowly. Shin exhaled sharply and snapped both guns up.
First, he aid for the eyes, but it was only a distraction. As Sakuraba shielded his face with his right hand, he paused for an instant.
It was enough ti for Shin to attempt the impossible. He fired twice at the exact sa point. The first bullet opened a small crack in Sakuraba’s defense, and the second pierced his body.
Sakuraba staggered back, genuine pain flashing across his features as his hand clamped over the wound.
"Fuck!" His elegance disappeared as he scread in annoyance, finally taking the fight seriously.
Shin didn’t relax for even a second. His mind raced, searching for a way to defeat his opponent. He was almost out of bullets, and his body throbbed with pain.
The double shot had worked, but it wasn’t nearly enough to finish him. And now that Sakuraba was finally taking the fight seriously, the montum had shifted.
The man charged straight at him. Hitting the sa point twice while he moved like that would be impossible. Shin would have to rely on deception.
Shin fired three more tis at his opponent, then deliberately lowered his gun, pretending he was out of ammunition.
He hoped Sakuraba would drop his guard once he believed Shin was defenseless, giving him the chance to land his last bullets at point-blank range.
Sakuraba lunged forward and slamd his fist into Shin’s stomach again. Then he grabbed the fat man by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
Even with death closing in, Shin forced himself to stay calm, waiting for the right mont to act...
However, the grip around his throat loosened suddenly.
Shin blinked in surprise as Sakuraba dropped to his knees. A mont later, he collapsed completely, unmoving.
It wasn’t just him. Yumi, Ange, and Aiko had also fallen to the ground. Worried, Shin quickly checked them, but they were only asleep.
"A technique that can put all of them to sleep in an instant..." Shin muttered, a bad feeling settling in his chest.
As far as he rembered, only one person in HEAVEN possessed such a powerful skill.
"Long ti no see," Lilith purred softly, touching Shin’s left shoulder. "When I heard you were fighting, I ca to take a look. I wasn’t expecting such a good show."
As Lilith’s magic flowed through Shin’s veins, all his pain vanished. His wounds closed, his broken bones nded, and the fatigue disappeared. For her, restoring him from the brink of death to perfect condition was as effortless as breathing.
Still, it was strange to see her there.
She rarely left the tower, and when she did, it was usually to visit HEAVEN’s headquarters, not to involve herself in minor missions like this.
"What? Surprised to see ?" Lilith’s lips curved into an enigmatic smile. "I couldn’t risk you getting hurt. I have high expectations for you. And you’ve exceeded every one of them. Who would’ve guessed you had such a strong system?"
"Hehe... I don’t deserve that much praise," Shin said, feigning embarrassnt.
Attracting Lilith’s attention ant gaining access to resources and powerful allies. The problem was that she would also be watching him closely. And she was far too strong; he would need years before he was powerful enough to kill her.
’Yes, what a tragic life. It seems you can’t stop attracting other won’s attention,’ Lilel’s voice echoed in his mind.
’Hey! Were you listening in?’
’Yes. I tuned into your mind to check the situation. Over here, everyone suddenly fainted. They’re all asleep. Should I co to you?’
’No. Stay there. Lilith might sense your presence, and I don’t want that.’
’Roger. I’ll explore a bit to pass the ti. And later, I need to tell you a few things.’
Their connection cut off, and Shin turned his focus back to Lilith, who was already explaining their next moves.
"Apparently, soone called the police. But don’t worry, I’ve already prepared a cover. So officers subordinate to us will arrive soon."
Shin nodded. "In that case, you should know there are several docunts in the basent detailing the Cartel’s activities."
After saying that, he hesitated for a mont. He told Lilith about John and explained that letting him be captured by the police would be risky.
"However, aside from him, I don’t think there’s anything here that could lead back to HEAVEN. Still, I recomnd a thorough inspection."
Lilith smiled and slowly reapplied her lipstick before turning to him, her red eyes gleaming dangerously.
"I see you’re quick-witted. Don’t worry, from here on, HEAVEN will take control of the situation. As for your sister and her friends, I assu you want to save them."
"Yes," Shin answered firmly.
"Very well. But you must lie to them. Say you called the police, and co up with an excuse for how you managed to rescue them."
"Thank you... One more thing, could you make our exit easier?" Shin didn’t want to spend hours answering police questions, nor did he want to be dragged into the investigation.
"Very well. I’ll grant your request. Now, accompany , we must go take a look. Though I suppose I should disguise myself."
She touched one of the gemstones on her collar, and her mage attire shifted into a standard police uniform. Then she made Aiko, Ange, and Yumi wake up.
Lilith introduced herself to the three girls as a special police officer. She assured them that the rest of the unit would arrive soon.
Before leaving, she gave Shin a firm slap on the back, scolding him for his recklessness. Though she added that it was thanks to that very recklessness that she had arrived in ti.
The three girls looked at Shin, rembering how he had saved them. Naturally, they thanked him.
Soon after, they returned to the private karaoke room, but John was gone. All they found were Hinami, Yuki, and the other girls, still shaken and terrified.
"I’ll leave the rest to you," Lilith murmured before walking away, leaving Shin behind.
For a mage like her, capturing John would be easy. anwhile, Shin took on the role of calming everyone down.
He mixed lies with truths, forced to reveal that he was one of the Chosen of this year, and that he possessed a system.
According to his explanation, his system had alerted him to what John was planning. However, he hadn’t been strong enough to defeat everyone at once, so he had devised a plan to buy ti and call the police.
"And that’s not all!" Ange cut in, eagerly describing how he had saved them.
Her eyes sparkled with admiration. If anything, her feelings for him had only grown stronger.
Amid the commotion, Yumi kept apologizing over and over to her friends. She felt terribly guilty; it was she who had invited everyone.
"So basically, you’re our savior," Hinami said, pressing her boobs against Shin. "In that case... I suppose I should give you a special reward."
"What are you doing, you slut?!" Yuki snapped, stepping between Hinami and Shin.
"Alright, alright, I won’t be selfish," Hinami replied, stepping back with a playful smile. "How about this? We continue the group date."
"What do you an?" Ange asked.
"Honestly, I’d rather not see any more strangers today," Aiko murmured, her body still trembling slightly from everything that had happened.
"We don’t need anyone else," Hinami said with a grin. "Shin will be the only guy."
The others blinked in confusion, but Hinami continued explaining her "perfect" plan.
"Isn’t it obvious? We need to compete for him." She turned to Shin, giving him a sultry look. "So...? What do you think about having multiple beautiful ladies competing for you?"
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