Kill to evolve: A system that demands blood
Chapter 28: Second examination

Chapter 28: Second examination

Chapter 28

Siena’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to Jace. He was slumped against the wall, his breathing shallow and labored. Blood pooled beneath him, spreading fast. His clothes were soaked red, and his face had gone dangerously pale.

"Karla!" Siena snapped. "Get over here, now! Check his pulse."

Karla rushed to his side, her hands trembling as she dropped to her knees. "His pulse is weak. He’s fading."

Siena pressed her fingers to her earpiece, voice sharp. "Command, this is Captain Siena. We need medical evacuation immediately. One critical, another unconscious. Coordinates transmitting now."

Static.

Only static.

She clenched her jaw, glanced at the others. "Anyone else getting signal?"

They shook their heads.

"Damn it," she muttered.

Mila knelt beside her. "What do we do?"

"We hold this position. Nobody moves. We keep Ronan and Jace alive. Prioritize those two."

"But we can’t stop the bleeding. I don’t think Jace’s body can take much more," Karla said, panic rising in her voice. "We need to do something now!"

Siena grabbed her by the shoulder, firm. "Then stop panicking and help me keep pressure on the wound."

Karla nodded quickly and followed orders, but her hands were still shaking. She was completely exhausted and had run out of energy, so there was no way for her to use her system healing ability.

On the ground beside them, Ronan remained motionless. His face was calm, but his body didn’t respond at all. The glow that had surrounded him was completely gone.

"What the hell is he?" Mila whispered, eyes flicking toward him. "And what did that fight take out of him that he suddenly dropped unconscious?"

"We can ask him when he wakes up," Siena said. "Right now, he’s out. Treat him like dead weight, and focus on what we can control."

Jace let out a wet, broken gasp. Karla let out a cry.

"He’s crashing!"

Siena bit down hard, heart pounding. "I said keep him stable!"

There was shouting. Movement. Everyone was working, trying to help, but it was clear—they were losing him. The silence between Jace’s shallow breaths grew longer.

Karla’s eyes brimmed with tears. "He’s going to die, I can’t—"

"No, he’s not," Siena growled. "Not on my watch."

Suddenly—

A soft pulse.

It came from behind them. Faint, but unmistakable. Like a heartbeat... but not Jace’s.

Siena turned sharply.

Ronan’s body was still motionless—but the air around him shimmered. A faint blue hue flickered across his skin like static. Then, a system notification blinked to life—visible to everyone nearby. They could actually freaking see someone else’s system notification, which was a first.

[Passive Skill Activated: Aura of Preservation — Nearby allies stabilized]

Kara blinked. "What...?"

Jace’s breathing, while still shallow, evened out slightly. The bleeding slowed, just a little. His heart rate, though weak, found a rhythm.

"What the hell is happening now?" Mila whispered.

Siena stared at Ronan, wide-eyed. He’s unconscious... and his system is still reacting to their condition?

Karla checked Jace’s pulse again. "He’s not out of the woods yet, but... he’s not crashing anymore."

Relief washed over the team like a wave.

Siena exhaled deeply. "He bought us time. We need to use it."

Mila looked to the rubble and the distant exit. "Think we can move them?"

Just then, a loud rumble echoed overhead. A second later, a transport aircraft roared past the broken skyline, the Sentinel Order logo painted boldly on the side. Flashes of blue light followed as drones dropped from the sky, sweeping the area.

"Finally..." Siena muttered.

The aircraft began descending fast, wind kicking up dirt and debris. A sharp click came through Siena’s earpiece.

"This is Sentinel Command. MedEvac inbound. Standby for extraction."

Siena exhaled, her body still tense. "Karla, Mila, signal the landing. Hugo, keep watch on everyone. We’re not out yet."

The squad moved without question. The intensity of the last hour still lingered on their faces, but Siena’s voice cut through the panic like a blade. Orders were followed. Chaos was managed.

Medics poured out of the aircraft the moment it touched down. Jace was rushed inside, machines already working to stabilize him. Two others carried Ronan’s limp form on a stretcher. Even then, he didn’t move an inch.

Siena stepped into the aircraft last, sweat-drenched, blood-spattered, and deadly silent.

"Captain Siena," a voice barked over the noise.

She turned to see Commander Eland, helmet under his arm, face grim. He’d boarded the moment the ramp shut. One look at the state of the team and the blood-soaked interior was enough to harden his features.

"What the hell happened down there?" he asked, stepping in close. "Start talking."

Siena’s mouth was dry. Her hands were still stained with Jace’s blood. But she didn’t hesitate.

"commander," she began, her voice measured but tinged with the exhaustion from the past hours, "our mission commended as planned. We infiltrated the designated zone and proceeded towards the target coordinates. At first, we didn’t find any living creature nearby, but unexpectedly, they appeared out of nowhere, like they’d been waiting for us."

She paused, recalling everything. "Those creatures where horrifying, we engaged them in battle, but everyone we took down always stood back up. Their regenerative abilities is unlike anything we’ve faced before."

Commander Eland’s brows furrowed. "Regenerative abilities? Are you certain?"

Siena nodded, "Yes sir. We would inflict what should have been fatal enough to kill them, only to witness them heal almost instantly.

"We would have been done for if Ronan hadn’t stepped in at the right moment to save us." Siena added.

"You mean that guy? The newbie?" Commander Eland asked, motioning towards Ronan.

"Yes sir.... I’ve seen many system abilities in my time, but Ronan is... nothing like any of us. His abilities are so many i can’t even tell what exactly he awakened." Sienna replied, clenching her fist.

"You mean he doesn’t have one ability?"

"They’re far from one, sir, with all due respect, Ronan’s abilities....they warrant further investigation. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s great now because he’s on our side, but if anything was to happen, and he decides to work against us instead, I’m afraid even low level S rank harbingers won’t be able to stop him."

Commander Eland’s expression tensed, "you mean to say, he is already at the level of S rank? But his mana measured 900 during the last test, it’s impossible for him to become any stronger, so what exactly do you mean?"

"I mean to say....Ronan can evolve. Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, no one ever heard of something like that, but that’s what we all saw. It felt like he kept getting stronger with each kill, it could just be me overthinking, but I think he should undergo another mana examination."

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