"We were willing to share," Axel said coolly. "But since you've got an attitude, there's nothing here for you anymore."

Torren's eyes widened. He took one look at Axel, then exhaled deeply like he'd just figured out a cosmic puzzle. He was that kind of guy, huh… no wonder Maxen wanted to kill him.

"Do you even know who you're talking to?" Camden's voice darkened, and Force surged around him like a rising tide.

Middle-rank noble, from the looks of him—one who wasn't used to being questioned.

But then Zoey spoke. "We don't need the seeds."

Camden looked confused. "But, Miss Zoey—those are high-grade healing items. They could save us if we're injured later—"

"He can have them," she interrupted coldly. "But he leaves an arm behind. Let's see if that mouth of his still works after that."

Her tone was calm—chillingly so. Torren understood instantly. She didn't just want to teach Axel a lesson. She wanted him dead.

Camden activated his Force and took a step forward.

Torren didn't hesitate—he stepped back immediately. "Hey, I'm out. You two do what you want. I want no part of this."

He gave Axel a meaningful glance, then turned and vanished into the forest without looking back.

"Kill him," Zoey said flatly, not sparing Axel another look.

"Oh, we're doing it this way?" Axel chuckled darkly, rolling his neck.

The moment Camden made a move, Axel unleashed his power.

He'd been dying to see what his new strength could really do.

Camden's Force exploded, the air thickening with an oppressive, sticky mist—like walking through wet concrete. Fine jets of compressed water lanced toward Axel, slicing through the air.

"Compressed Force. Not bad," Axel muttered. But this wasn't a place for drawn-out fights. Time mattered.

"Recharge."

His body surged as his skill activated, and raw Force poured through his limbs. Though Camden's Force was of a higher *quality*, Axel's raw numbers blew him out of the water.

He tore through the mist like a bullet, shattering the slowing field completely.

"What the—how the hell is he that fast?!"

Camden's signature move—entrapping opponents in his mist and slicing them apart slowly—had been shredded in seconds.

"That much Force…?! No way! Not even officially Level 4!"

Camden staggered backward as Axel burst through his defenses like a meteor. His eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Almost 3,000 points? At his age?! What kind of monster—"

"I'll trap him—Zoey, finish him!" he shouted desperately.

Zoey narrowed her eyes, a cold smirk curling her lips. "So that's why you've got an attitude. You're strong."

But Axel didn't give her the luxury of banter. He shot forward like a cannonball, the earth shattering under his feet as he surged straight for Camden—ready to finish the fight before Zoey could even get involved.

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"Water Prison!"

Camden clapped his hands together, and the water from the nearby lake surged upward, manipulated by invisible psychic tendrils. In an instant, a five-meter-wide cube of swirling water slammed into place around Axel, catching him mid-dash.

"Tch—!" Axel hit the side of the prison and bounced off like rubber.

He narrowed his eyes, testing the barrier with a few quick strikes. Each time, even when his blows distorted the watery walls, the fluid reformed just as fast—sucking itself back into shape like living quicksilver.

"Elastic… and self-repairing. Hmph."

Psychic-types. Axel rarely fought them. Most of his previous battles had been with front-line melee Awakened. This was going to be annoying.

Then came a chill on the air—and a sudden pulse of energy from above.

A red gleam lit up the treeline. Zoey had raised her hand—and floating in the air was a three-meter-long cannon, the barrel humming with deadly energy.

"A mechanical-type?" Axel muttered, briefly reminded of Millers.

Zoey's expression was cold and cruel. "Since you want to act tough, burn to ash."

The cannon continued to glow, brighter, louder, as it absorbed her Force. The killshot was seconds away.

Axel's gaze hardened. "Fine. Guess it's time."

He reached over his shoulder and drew a long crimson blade. The hilt gleamed with circuitry, the edge humming faintly as he poured one-third of his Force into it.

With a roar, he slashed.

FWOOOM—

A scarlet arc ripped through the air, cleaving straight through the water prison. The entire construct shattered with a concussive **crack**, sending geysers of water erupting into the air.

"Gah—!" Camden screamed, blood spraying from his mouth. The psychic backlash of his technique shattering hit him like a sledgehammer.

But it didn't stop there. The blade arc, still glowing with residual energy, slammed toward Camden and Zoey like a falling star.

Zoey's eyes widened. Shit—!

With a snap of her fingers, she recalled the cannon just in time to form a temporary shield.

BOOM—!

The shockwave blasted the two off their feet, hurling them like rag dolls across the clearing. When the dust settled, both lay on the ground, bruised, scorched.

Their fine noble gear was torn and hanging off them in shreds. Underneath, sleek metallic armor hummed with defensive Force—high-grade Original Instruments.

Axel stalked toward them, blade still glowing.

Zoey's face twisted in disbelief and fury. "Do you have any idea who I am?! How dare you kill me?!"

Noble blood. Silverwyn of Rutherford.

Her every word dripped with entitlement and rage.

But Axel didn't stop.

"Miss Zoey, let's go! He's a lunatic!" Camden coughed, grabbing her wrist. Her armor was cracked.

He dragged her away, fleeing into the woods without another word.

Axel watched them go, shaking his head. "Cowards."

He could've chased them—he probably could've finished them if he really tried. But the energy cost wouldn't be worth it. They were loaded with defensive gear, and the scuffle would just drag out.

Not to mention…

Thud… thud… thud…

The ground began to tremble. Distant but rapid steps thundered from deeper in the forest.

"Right on cue." Axel looked toward the treeline. "Big one incoming."

Without wasting a moment, he dove into the pond, gathered the radiant Three-Life Lotus Seeds, and slipped away like a ghost.

Six milky-white seeds, slightly translucent and radiating a soft glow, sat snugly in his satchel. Their sweet scent filled the air.

"Jackpot."

He turned once more toward the direction Torren had run.

"And here I thought the Havoc Division had more backbone." Axel muttered, shaking his head.

Torren had been the one to draw first blood days ago. Axel had pegged him as the reckless kind, the type who wouldn't flinch under pressure.

Guess not.

.....

A few kilometers away, Torren had already put some distance between himself and the fight—but even from this far, he heard the blast.

BOOM.

A faint echo rumbled through the Abyss.

"Don't tell me they actually threw down…" he muttered, rubbing his temple. "That kid's got balls."

It wasn't that Torren feared noble brats—but he didn't want to deal with them either.

The five major noble families practically ran the damn House of Lords. Even the smaller clans were tangled in a web of connections that spanned every division, every department.

Piss off the wrong person, and they wouldn't kill you outright—but you'd find your promotions delayed, your requests denied, little traps and landmines dropped into your future at every turn. Death by bureaucracy.

Then he spotted movement up ahead.

Two figures—tattered clothes, staggering slightly. One of them was holding the other up.

"Zoey and Camden? Holy hell…" Torren blinked.

It was them. Dirt-smudged, armor scorched, eyes full of fury and shame.

"That kid actually beat their asses?"

Torren's jaw slackened for a second before he started laughing softly to himself. "Goddamn freak."

He shook his head, pulling out a crumpled map from his gear. His fingers traced a particular marked spot.

"Heavenly Spirit Fruit Tree…" Torren's expression darkened.

.....

Meanwhile…

Axel pressed onward.

The Abyss was strange. Lush vegetation sprawled in every direction, but the air was always heavy with killing intent. Suffocating at first, but like all things, the body adapted. He breathed it in now like thick smoke.

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