Left in Rage

Sylara tightened her grip on the Pantho Sword, its weight settling comfortably in her palm. The blade gleamed under the burning lights of the ruined street, reflecting the chaos around them.

"Let's do it," she muttered, pressing a finger to her earpiece. "I'm sending a message to my guild—reinforcements are on their way."

But Akira was already moving.

BOOM.

A burst of wind cracked the pavement as he shot forward like a missile, white lightning dancing around his fists.

His speed was unnatural, leaving only a streak of energy in his wake.

"System, scan them."

A flicker of blue light flashed in his vision. His status window popped up, detailing the Lingols' 

[Lingol]

[Type: Evolved Golbins ]

[Abilities:]

Rend Claw – Slashes with claws sharp enough to cut through steel.

Night Stalker – Blends into darkness, making it difficult to detect.

[Weakness:]

Brittle Legs – Strikes to the knees or ankles disrupt movement.

—Weakness: Their legs.

Akira's lips curled. "Oh? Now you're actually useful sometimes system , showing their weakness whenever you want."

He clenched his fist, arcs of lightning crackling along his knuckles. His body tensed.

"Alright then… let's test this."

—BAM.

Akira leaped, fist cocked back, the air around him sizzling from sheer power. His knuckles collided against the first Lingol's skull like a thunderclap. The creature's grotesque face snapped backward, its long, jagged limbs flailing as its balance broke.

Before it could recover—

SLASH.

Sylara landed behind it, blade flashing.

The Pantho Sword tore through flesh and bone, severing the Lingol's head clean from its shoulders. The body collapsed instantly, twitching once before falling still.

Sylara exhaled, flicking blood from the blade. She glanced at Akira, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Keep up the good work, outside agent." She mocked.

Akira barely spared her a glance, his eyes already on the next monster.

"Yeah? You better keep up with me too."

BOOM.

He launched forward again, his movements like a bolt of living lightning. The second Lingol barely had time to react before —CRACK— Akira's fist slammed into its jaw, sending it stumbling.

A second later, Sylara moved like a shadow. One clean strike. The creature's body hit the ground with a dull THUD.

"Nice, nice," Akira murmured, his body already coiling like a spring for the next attack.

Then—something changed.

A sudden shift.

The third Lingol dodged.

Akira's fist swung through empty air.

His mind sharpened instantly. "Tch. That's new."

His feet dug into the pavement as he landed, muscles tightening.

The creature's red eyes gleamed with something eerie—awareness. It snarled, claws clicking against the pavement as it shifted its stance.

Then—it growled.

A deep, guttural sound that sent a ripple through the battlefield.

And the Lingols responded.

All around them, the surviving creatures twitched, their hunched bodies straightening as though something inside them had changed. The dull gleam in their eyes sharpened, flickering with something disturbingly close to intelligence.

"They adapted… after only two moves?"

Akira barely had time to think before they struck.

One lunged. The air split as razor-sharp claws slashed toward his throat.

Akira twisted, barely avoiding the strike, but the Lingol followed up instantly, pivoting on its brittle legs to slam its elbow into his ribs. The blow sent a dull shock through his frame. A weak hit—but calculated.

Sylara gasped as a second Lingol hurled a severed car door straight at her. She dodged, but before she could recover, the creature blurred toward her, claws outstretched.

"They're getting more aggressive!" she said, parrying the attacks.

Akira's smirk widened, the thrill of a real fight creeping into his veins.

"Smart. On top of their size and strength, they can actually think. That's expected from monsters of a B-rank dungeon."

His fingertips tingled, sparks crackling against his skin. The air grew thick around him.

"But who cares?"

—"Soul Infusion. Activate."

A wave of sheer energy erupted from his body, the ground beneath him cracking apart as raw strength flooded his veins. His pupils turning white, his muscles surged, and the night lit up with the dazzling glow of white lightning.

Akira grinned.

Sylara's eyes widened as she felt it.

The air changed.

She focused, trying to sense his mana flow, but it was like trying to grasp smoke. Nothing.

The raw, electric pressure from Akira's body surged like a violent storm, but—his mana had vanished.

"I can't feel his mana anymore… Did he activate that weird skill boost of his?"

Her heart pounded.She smirked, shaking off the brief shock.

"Tch. I better not slack off."

Violet flames erupted around her as she whispered—

"Volio Energy."

The moment she activated it, her Pantho Sword pulsed, its blade drinking in the energy, glowing a deep, sinister violet. The air around her hummed, rippling with sheer power.

She twirled the sword once, feeling the weight settle perfectly in her hands.

Sylara smirked right back. "Time to end this."

"Akira, I'm right after you. Go for it."

Akira cracked his knuckles, white sparks flickering between his fingertips. His stance loosened, effortless, like he was just stretching before a casual workout.

His voice was cool, confident. "Goes without saying."

—BOOM.

The ground shattered beneath him.

Akira vanished.

A shockwave tore through the pavement where he once stood, sending shattered stone flying as he lunged at the third Lingol—the one that had dodged him before.

Its eyes gleamed as it twisted away again—

But Akira was faster this time.

—CRACK!

A white bolt of lightning erupted from Akira's outstretched hand. The searing energy pierced the monster's body like a spear, locking it in place mid-motion. Its grotesque limbs convulsed violently, frozen under the sheer pressure of the attack.

Sylara didn't wait.

"Now!"

She dashed forward, the Pantho Sword glowing with violet fire, the sharp hum of her energy vibrating through the air.

The Lingol's glowing red eyes widened.

Too late.

Sylara spun, blade singing through the night—

—SLASH!

The Lingol's legs separated instantly, severed like butter.

It collapsed with a horrid screech, clawing at the ground, unable to move.

Akira's eyes flickered as he landed a few feet away, watching her work.

"I know the Pantho Sword is sharp… but never this sharp."

He exhaled, studying the violent violet aura that still crackled around her blade.

"That energy from the panthosword… is that her skill?"

His gaze lingered on Sylara, watching how smoothly she cut through the monster's defenses, her movements precise, deadly.

"She's strong."

But then—his eyes burned brighter.

"My turn to finish this."

—FWOOOOOM!

Akira's body tensed, lightning coiling around his arms, wild and untamed. His fist clenched, veins surging with raw power.

—"White Lightning Barrage."

The night erupted.

A relentless onslaught of white lightning rained down onto the fallen Lingol, each strike shattering its body piece by piece. Explosions of pure force tore into it, the pavement cracking beneath the intensity of Akira's barrage.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM!

Its body convulsed.

Its flesh charred, its skin ruptured, its bones shattered.

And then—

—BOOOOM!

The final blow landed.

The monster EXPLODED.

Chunks of burned flesh and blackened bone scattered across the ruined street.

Smoke billowed around Akira as he landed, his white lightning still crackling around his frame.

Sylara just… stared.

Her grip on the sword tightened.

—"For real?"

Akira smirked, brushing off his knuckles.

Sylara rolled her shoulders, a grin spreading across her face.

"You never cease to amaze me."

She spun the Pantho Sword once, violet flames flaring.