The air was thick with tension, broken only by the brutal rhythm of fists and kicks striking flesh. The captains, flanked by Alaric, stood frozen in disbelief as they watched Slade pummel Nova with chilling detachment, using him like a punching bag, blow after blow landing with merciless precision.

They were powerless. Though they were Nova's subordinates, none dared to intervene or at least, some tried but were quickly stopped by Alaric. Intervening could worsen the situation, possibly igniting a conflict that would jeopardize not just their lives, but everything Nova had built. Jaw clenched, fists tight, they watched in silent agony, each strike on their leader's body felt like a blow to their own.

Cassidy probably hasn't heard the commotion… good, Alaric thought, eyes locked on Nova. If something happens to her, Boss will never forgive me.

While his subordinates stood paralyzed, Nova's mind refused to surrender. Despite the searing pain and relentless assault, his thoughts remained razor-sharp. He was analyzing, calculating.

'Think, Nova. Think. How do I get out of this?'

Hundreds of strategies flooded his mind, some reckless, some feasible. He even considered slicing through his own skin with wind Mana particles to break free from the wall of ice pinning him. But each plan, no matter how desperate or clever, led back to the same dead end.

He was now a prisoner, his freedom held hostage by Slade, the current guard. And the more he thought about it, the more the anger burned—not at Slade, but at himself.

He had been given a chance. A chance to break free from a society built by others, where he felt he was at a dead end, his life governed by others that stood above him. A system that demanded obedience, that crushed individuality.

He had sworn never to return to that version of himself.

He had trained relentlessly, pushing his limits every single day without a wasted moment. Every hour spent honing his body, skills and sharpening his mind, becoming stronger, smarter than the day before. Not for glory. Not even for power. At least, not entirely.

It was after meeting Vragor, the Troll King, that he truly understood. Vragor's words—raw—had stripped away any illusions he still clung to. Other civilizations, other powers, they wouldn't let him be free. Not unless he had the strength to take that freedom and keep it.

Power wasn't a luxury. To him it was survival.

Now, that path, the one he had carved with blood and sweat, was being threatened. Slade wasn't just an opponent. He was the first person that had the strength to drag him back into the machine, into a life where he was just another cog turning for someone else's wheel.

Even if Slade didn't think of doing that for a single moment, to Nova it didn't matter. If one day Slade woke up and decided to bind him on a whim then Nova wouldn't be able to do anything, his freedom would be tethered to Slade's mood or whoever was stronger than him.

Fury, anxiety and fear filled his heart. Emotions he hadn't felt in years now rose like a tidal wave, crashing through him in the middle of battle. And beneath it all, one thought echoed louder than the rest.

'I already escaped the cage once. If I lose now, everything I've fought for, all the blood, pain, and sacrifice, will mean nothing.'

Nova's thoughts raced as another blow slammed into his body. 'I don't even know what this guy wants. Will he kill me? Let me go? Recruit me?'

But given Slade's overwhelming strength, the last option might be the worst. 'If he takes me in, I doubt I'll be able to escape anytime soon. If at all.'

If he could move, Nova would've clenched his fists until his nails broke skin. Trapped in ice, he was frozen in place, but inside, the fury had begun to boil, becoming hotter by the second. Fear and anxiety melted away under the sheer heat of his rage. His lips curled into a dark, twisted grin.

'If you think you can cage me again… then even if it's the last thing I do—'

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

A flash passed through his eyes, sharp, cold, merciless. It was colder than the ice that bound him, colder than the air that trembled with every blow. He stared straight at Slade, who continued to rain down punches like hammers. If not for the frozen wall behind him holding him up, Nova's body would've collapsed under the force.

But pain no longer registered. The only word echoing within him, burning into every thought, was freedom. His grin so twisted it resembles a devil who crawled up from the depths of hell.

Another brutal punch landed in his gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. Gasping for breath his grin widened, lips parting as he spoke for the first time.

"I'll kill you."

Will 12 → 13

Slade didn't even blink.

Nova's words were entirely ignored by him. To Slade, they meant only one thing: he needed to hit harder.

But Nova didn't care if Slade took his words seriously or not.

He hadn't spoken to provoke fear. The moment the words left his mouth, a plan had snapped into place. One that didn't require a desperate gamble or a sacrifice. One that offered him a real chance to escape.

It took a long time to explain, but in real time, from the moment he was trapped until now, barely a minute had passed.

'Spread the lightning particles to my limbs and back.'

His mind gave the command. What little lightning mana remained in his reserves he directed toward five critical points—his arms, legs, and back. The energy crackled through him, faster and smoother than ever before thanks to him not losing his path and reaffirming it thus strengthening his Will.

The moment the lightning Mana touched the ice encasing him, it sizzled. A soft hiss filled the air as it began to melt, slowly turning to water and sliding off his skin. Steam rose from his body like smoke from kindling.

Inside, Nova let out a breathless, wry sigh.

'So simple… but if not for a stroke of luck, none of this would've worked.'

His words were soon proven right when the water quickly refroze into ice.

'It's doable,' he thought, eyes narrowing.

He repeated the process, letting his lightning Mana particles come into contact with the ice once more. As the ice crackled and dissolved, water streamed down his body. But this time, just as it began to crystallize again, Nova acted. With a sharp breath, he absorbed the water into his body.

The water Mana particles didn't resist.

In fact, they almost seemed to welcome him—like they had been waiting.

'I don't know if, deep down, I expected something like this to happen… or if my luck is playing a role in this,' he thought, a flicker of disbelief curling into a smirk. 'Either way, I owe the armor I forged for this.'

When he'd first arrived in Quarath, one of the first things he did was building a smithy. He'd reforged both his weapon and armor pieces with better materials. For his armor, he had chosen the scales of the Sky Serpent he slayed in the Giant Blue portal. The scales gave the armor an increased affinity for the water element. But until now, he'd never used it. Slowly and silently the water Mana particles entered his body.

Slade, oblivious to what was happening, stopped attacking. With calm indifference he asked "Are you ready to obey?"

Slade's question hung in the air, but it only earned a snort from Nova whose lips had a trail of blood going to his chin. He had no intention of giving a real answer, but he needed time for the ice to further weaken.

He forced himself to speak, voice hoarse but sharp. "Aren't you looking for three people, not two? Or did you already abandon one of them?"

"A third?" echoed Slade, slightly surprised. Wanting to make sure Nova wasn't making things up he asked "Who are you talking about?"

'Just a little more,' Nova thought, his face unreadable. 'I can already feel it. With some strength I can break free of this damn wall but I need it to be weaker.'

Nova let out a breath, feigning tired resignation. "So you've given up on Micah already? What was it? He's too weak, so you tossed him aside? I expected nothing less from a pack of thugs pretending to be an organization."

Slade's eyes narrowed, caught off-guard by the mention of the missing third person.

"Bring them to me," Slade said coldly. Then, after a pause, seeing no reaction, he added with a sharper edge, "Now."

He doubted that all three had been taken hostage by the person standing before him, but he didn't care. What mattered was that if he rescued them, he could avoid wasting time on the emergency meetings about their disappearance—and that alone was reason enough for Slade to step in.

"Aren't you curious how I got all three of them?" Nova asked, voice laced with amusement, even as his thoughts whispered, 'Almost done.'

Slade studied him with the same cold indifference, unmoved. "Bring them to me, and I'll spare your ant life," he said, as if offering mercy to something beneath him.

In his mind, it was a generous concession. If it weren't for Erevan's orders, he wouldn't even look at someone like Nova, much less speak to him. This whole mission felt like a punishment—a tedious errand far beneath his rank. No... not just this mission. Everything felt like punishment lately.

Nova gave a slight nod—but not to Slade.

It was to himself.

His wrists, now loosened, could move with minimal effort. His back was no longer stuck to the ice wall. With the slightest of pull he could break free and fight.

The grin on his face never faltered. "Alright…" he said.

The lighthearted words stunned the audience, who knew their Boss well—but to Slade, they sounded perfectly natural.

Then, in one smooth motion, Nova tore himself free.

His arms snapped forward. Quickly pulling out Dreadscape from his Inventory he muttered "…but instead I'll bring you to them."

With a single, explosive thrust, the spear pierced through Slade's chest, its blade bursting out the other side as blood poured in torrents.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.