Kill to evolve: A system that demands blood
Chapter 61: Final battle (III)

Chapter 61: Final battle (III)

Chapter 61

He vanished and reappeared mid-air, plunging a dagger into Baldy’s spine.

Twisted.

The blade vibrated—Force Echo—and repeated the same impact three times over from different angles.

Baldy screamed.

Then kicked upward and caught Ronan in the ribs.

But Ronan didn’t fly back.

He grabbed the leg and used Gravity Clamp.

The enemy couldn’t move.

And Ronan brought him down.

Slammed him into the ground like a broken hammer.

Over.

And over.

And over.

A crater formed.

Aldric was done playing defense too.

He cracked his knuckles, blood dripping from his nose again.

"Let’s break a law."

His field expanded again.

Reality shivered.

New Rule: "Momentum Builds Infinitely With Each Step."

He took off running.

One step.

Two.

Three—

By the fourth, Aldric couldn’t be seen.

The fifth step—he hit Shirtless One like a freight train, fist-first.

The man folded in half mid-air.

Aldric flipped, landed, and before the rule could collapse, he lunged again—this time with a spinning kick that ripped through space.

Rule ended.

He staggered—eyes blurry.

But Shirtless One wasn’t moving anymore.

Ezren rose from the rubble, a grin across his face despite the blood on his lips.

"Oh, I’m awake now."

He raised both hands.

His voice was calm.

"Mind Lock: Absolute Hollow."

Scar-Guy screamed.

His brain shut down for exactly 4 seconds.

Enough for Ronan to flash-step behind him.

"Thanks."

Blood Claws activated.

Ronan’s hands morphed, fingers turning to curved crimson blades.

He grabbed the man’s head and ripped it clean off.

For once, the body didn’t regenerate.

Ezren tilted his head. "Guess that worked."

Aldric wiped his mouth, panting now.

Only Baldy and Shirtless One remained.

And Baldy was already limping.

Ronan stared them down.

His voice, a low growl.

"Come on."

"Adapt more."

"I’m not full yet."

Baldy and Shirtless weren’t backing down.

Despite the broken bones, ruptured organs, and blood oozing from every pore, their bodies were still trying to adapt. Muscles rippled with unstable energy, their healing accelerating.

They weren’t just regenerating.

They were changing.

Evolving in real-time.

Shirtless One flexed his fingers—his knuckles cracked like gunshots. Then he twisted his head back into place, one eye still dangling, and muttered, "You’re close..."

Ronan narrowed his gaze. "To what?"

"To waking us up."

BOOM.

Both enemies surged forward at once—faster than before.

Ronan vanished mid-step.

Spatial Displacement.

He reappeared mid-air above Shirtless One and kicked down, aiming to cave in his chest. The man raised his arms to block—

Wrong move.

Ronan’s dagger was already in motion.

Force Echo.

The first stab pierced his arm.

The second and third replayed instantly from different vectors—his shoulder, his ribs—slashing deep.

Shirtless One screamed, but his counter came faster than Ronan expected.

A punch—too close to dodge.

BAM.

Ronan flew back, caught mid-flight by Aldric, who appeared in a flicker of light.

"Stay focused," Aldric snapped.

Blood streamed from his ears, his body trembling.

"I’m almost burned out, so let’s end this."

He raised his palm.

Reality Warden: Final Override.

Rule: "Damage Applied is Shared Among All in Field."

Suddenly, every injury dealt to Baldy or Shirtless would echo onto the other—and anyone else inside the 15-meter radius.

Ezren immediately stepped out of range.

Smart.

Ronan got it instantly.

Double damage.

Shared pain.

Perfect.

Baldy sprinted toward Aldric, roaring.

Shirtless came for Ronan again.

Ezren called out, "Thirty seconds max, or Aldric’s brain will melt."

Ronan didn’t wait.

He charged.

Baldy launched a knee into Aldric’s gut—

But Aldric absorbed it, then grabbed his neck and twisted.

Snap.

Shirtless swung at Ronan with both fists, wind pressure alone shattering the concrete around them.

Ronan ducked—

Slashed his abdomen open.

Blood gushed.

And Baldy howled.

Shared damage.

Ronan grinned.

He attacked harder.

Kinetic Ghost.

His afterimages joined the battle—phantoms striking from odd angles, creating chaos.

Each strike landed twice.

Blood spilled. Bones cracked.

Aldric caught Baldy in a bear hug.

"Wanna break bones? Let’s start with yours."

He crushed the man’s ribs, bones popping like wet popcorn.

Meanwhile, Shirtless One faltered—spasming from the damage Aldric dealt to Baldy.

This was it.

Ezren raised both hands again.

His voice calm, surgical.

"Mind Lock: Complete Blackout."

Shirtless One’s mind froze.

His body locked up.

Ronan blinked behind him—

And unleashed everything.

Daggers. Claws. Elbows. Knees.

Brutal. Precise. No mercy.

Slash—stab—stab—snap—crack—stab—

Baldy dropped.

Shirtless fell right after.

Both twitching.

Healing slower.

Slower.

Then not at all.

Aldric and Ezren could already feel their system were failing.

Aldric collapsed to one knee, breathing like a dying engine. Blood poured from his eyes, nose, and ears.

Ezren casually walked past them and poked one of the corpses with his boot.

"They’re done."

Silence.

Then the system beeped in Ronan’s mind.

System Message: Kill Threshold Met.

You Have Evolved.

A sudden surge of power rushed through him, like fire flooding his veins. His muscles thickened, senses sharpened, and his daggers hummed with bloodlust.

He clenched his fists.

"I want the next round."

Ezren chuckled darkly. "Told you this would be fun."

Aldric wiped blood from his face, voice hoarse.

"Remind me next time... not to push the damn laws too far."

Ronan stood tall, body trembling with new power.

His daggers vanished from his hands as he stood, body soaked in blood, some his, most not. His chest heaved slightly, more from instinct than exhaustion. His system wouldn’t allow fatigue. His gaze flicked over the shredded remains of their enemies—unmoving, torn, broken in ways no normal body should survive.

Aldric’s breath was ragged as he leaned on one knee, knuckles bloodied, jaw clenched. Ezren, for once, wasn’t grinning. He wiped a trail of blood from his lips, his gaze fixed on Ronan with unblinking intensity.

"The fuck was that, Ronan?" Aldric finally growled, his voice sharp with disbelief. "How the hell are you still standing after all that? What the hell are you hiding?"

Ezren chuckled, but there was tension behind it. "No joke... you were evolving during that battle, weren’t you?" His head tilted. "I’ve seen systems adapt... but you? You weren’t just adapting. You were... becoming something else entirely."

Ronan didn’t answer immediately. His eyes were already scanning the walls, the air, the pressure. His instincts were screaming again that trouble was near.

"We don’t have time," he said curtly, voice low but commanding. "We’re not alone. Something’s approaching."

Aldric stiffened. Ezren’s smirk faded.

"Tch. Makes sense," Ezren muttered. "One of those bastards mentioned something... Said the ones who would truly defeat us hadn’t arrived yet."

He spat on the floor.

"I’m tapped. Can’t hold another fight, not in this condition."

A sudden groan echoed nearby.

Tyce sat up first, rubbing the back of his neck, confused. "Ugh... What the hell—?"

One after another, the rest of the squad stirred.

Colt. Vex. Roan. Jalen. And nine more. Thirteen in total, each one waking to a battlefield that didn’t make sense.

Blood pooled everywhere. Cracked concrete. Crushed steel. The air reeked of carnage and death.

Ronan finally let the Shield of the Fallen drop—the invisible dome that had protected them while they were unconscious. The moment it fell, the team saw it all.

And froze.

Aldric, their fucking captain...was on one knee, his face all bloodied, he looked completely wrecked.

"Holy shit..." Jalen muttered.

Roan took a step forward, stunned. "Who... did this?"

Colt looked between Ronan and Ezren, then back at Aldric. "Captain... what the hell happened?"

Aldric stood up slowly, wincing. His voice was cold.

"We were ambushed. Three enemies. You were out cold because of the gas."

"But just how strong were they?"

"You don’t want to know," Ezren cut in, tone darker than usual.

Tyce narrowed his eyes. "Captain... who could mess you up this badly?"

"Forget that, we need to leave now." Aldric ordered tone firm.

"But we just woke up, we didn’t even have a share of the fun...we can’t just leave..." One of the teams mates chipped in.

Aldric snapped. "Shut up! You’d all be dead right now if that gas hadn’t taken you out early."

Silence.

"No one here could’ve survived that encounter without a miracle. This wasn’t a fight, it was a damn execution."

"But—Captain,HQ gave orders!" Vex protested. "You’re saying we retreat now? We came all this way—!"

"I said retreat!" Aldric barked. "That’s an order!"

Jalen frowned. "With all due respect, Captain, nothing out there is strong enough to hold off a full-on attack from Squad One. Even you—"

"No. You think nothing is strong enough. You’re wrong." Aldric’s voice was sharp. "They weren’t even using abilities. Do you hear me? No systems. No powers. Just raw speed, strength, and healing. They outpaced me. Outpaced all of us."

That shut everyone up.

Then... a blaring alarm echoed through the chamber.

The walls trembled. Red lights pulsed. The ground beneath them vibrated.

"What the hell is that?" Colt shouted over the noise.

A low hiss followed—and then...

THUNK—THUNK—THUNK—THUNK.

The giant steel door that had locked them in creaked... and began to open.

Everyone turned toward it, weapons raised.

"Did someone touch the console?" Tyce asked.

"No!" Roan shook his head. "I didn’t move!"

"Captain, was that you?" Vex called out.

Aldric’s jaw tightened. "No. This wasn’t me."

Ezren’s eyes narrowed. "Then someone let us go."

Silence again.

Cold, tense silence.

"Why the hell would they do that?" someone whispered.

And that made everything worse.

Because if someone had gone through the trouble of sealing them in, nearly killing the strongest members of Squad One, then sparing them...

It meant one thing:

They were being watched.