Chapter 15: EXTREME
My breath comes in ragged gasps as I try to keep pace with DJ. His speed is beyond anything I've ever dealt with. Every time I think I'm close, he moves faster, outmaneuvering me like I'm a child stumbling through this fight. His eyes lock onto me, glowing with a dangerous intensity. Then, there's that damn laser.
It splits again. For the fifth time, it fractures into a dozen smaller beams, zigzagging through the air with precision, turning the fight into a maddening game of survival. I grit my teeth, knowing the Eyes of Truth are barely keeping up. My head throbs, the edges of my vision blurring as the energy within me strains, pushing my limits. Blood begins to drip down my face from the corner of my eyes, staining my view red.
"Extremely inconvenient," I mutter between clenched teeth.
DJ laughs from across the battlefield, his voice carrying over the chaotic clash of magic. He looks like he's enjoying this too much, reveling in how far he's pushing me. I stagger back as one of the laser beams grazes my shoulder, burning through my jacket and searing my skin. Pain shoots through my body, but I push it down, focusing on staying alive.
I have to end this soon. I can't let him win—not after everything.
But my legs feel like lead. The strain of using the Eyes of Truth is catching up with me, my energy dwindling. My knees buckle, and I collapse onto the cracked street, dust rising around me. I can feel the Eyes flickering, the power fading. This is it, isn't it? My hands grip the pavement as I struggle to stand, my entire body screaming in protest.
DJ stands tall, triumphant, stepping closer. His smug grin stretches across his face. "You're done," he says, his voice dripping with arrogance. "You should've just stayed down, JLC. But don't worry—I'll make sure it's quick."
I bite back the fear rising in my throat. I can't die here, not like this. But I don't have anything left. I—
Suddenly, DJ's smirk vanishes, replaced by shock as a figure crashes into him from the side, sending him flying through two whole streets. The impact reverberates through the ground, shaking the debris around me. I look up, and there he is—Kail.
But something's different.
Kail stands in front of me, his back turned, his posture eerily calm. His hair, once a familiar shade, has gone gray, and his entire body is encased in bone-like armor, jagged and unnerving. A strange sphere pulses faintly next to his heart, glowing with an energy I can't recognize.
I try to call out to him, but no words come. My mouth feels dry, and the air is thick with tension. He's whispering something, but I can't make out what it is—his voice is low, almost like a hum or a chant. The only word I catch is "Extreme."
Then, without warning, Kail vanishes from where he stood, leaving behind nothing but a gust of wind. A blur streaks toward where DJ crashed, and I can hear the distant sound of destruction—a wall crumbling, a car being thrown. I scramble to my feet, wiping the blood from my face, trying to catch up to whatever's happening.
When I finally reach the scene, DJ is already on his feet again, but something's wrong. He looks rattled, off-balance. His usual bravado is gone, replaced by frustration. He charges up his laser again, the energy building in his hands, but this time it's different—bigger, more dangerous. A massive beam of light forms in front of him, ready to obliterate everything in its path.
Kail doesn't flinch. The beam hurtles toward him with terrifying force, but just before it makes contact, it... disappears. The magic evaporates into thin air, absorbed by Kail as though it never existed.
"What the—?!" DJ shouts, wide-eyed.
Kail, without a word, grabs DJ by the throat and throws him into the nearest building with a single, effortless motion. The force of it sends cracks spiraling through the structure, the sound of concrete breaking echoing down the street. Without missing a beat, Kail follows, smashing through walls, floors, and ceilings as if they were made of paper.
People scream. Civilians are fleeing, the chaos swallowing up anyone too slow to escape the battlefield. DJ crashes into another building, and Kail is on him in an instant, lifting him into the air and slamming him down again, over and over, with a blank, emotionless expression on his face.
This isn't Kail.
Not the Kail I know, at least.
He's not holding back. He's not thinking about the damage, the people in his path. He's just... focused. Cold. Relentless.
I force my legs to move, adrenaline kicking in despite my exhaustion. If this keeps up, Kail's going to level the entire block. I can't let that happen.
"Kail!" I yell, my voice hoarse from the strain. "Stop!"
But he doesn't respond. He grabs DJ by the arm and hurls him into a parked car, the vehicle flipping over from the sheer force. DJ's body slams into the ground, and for a moment, he doesn't get up.
Kail doesn't stop.
His bone-covered fist swings down, aiming for DJ's head, but I intercept it. My hand, still shaking, catches his wrist. The impact jolts through me like a shockwave, almost knocking me over. Kail looks at me, but his eyes are distant, unfocused.
"Kail," I pant, trying to break through the fog that's taken over his mind. "You're going to kill him. And everyone else. Look around!"
His gaze flickers for a moment, and I can see the confusion flash across his face, like he's trying to figure out where he is, who he is. But it's gone just as fast.
"Kail!" I shout again, pulling at his arm with everything I've got. "Snap out of it!"
For a split second, his fist hovers above DJ, the tension in his muscles palpable. Then, slowly, it begins to relax. Kail's breathing steadies, and the glow of the sphere by his heart dims. His armor begins to crack, fragments of bone flaking off and dissolving into the air. The gray in his hair fades back to its original shade.
He looks at me, eyes wide and confused. "JLC...?"
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Yeah. It's me."
But before either of us can say another word, DJ stirs, groaning as he pushes himself up from the rubble. I can see the look of pure rage flash across his face, and in an instant, his hand begins to glow again, magic building up for another attack.
I know I have to act fast.
