Transcendent Gene
Chapter 255: First Kill [5]

Chapter 255: First Kill [5]

Gio had rules when it came to killing humans. In order to keep himself on the right path, he promised to never kill a human he didn’t believe was worthy of death.

It was hard to make that kind of judgement about someone he’d only known for mere seconds. As such, the rule had exceptions. Anyone who introduced themself by aiming for his life could be immediately classified as a target for execution.

After all, such scenarios weren’t a matter of him playing judge and jury. It was an ordinary fight between Sequencers that could only have one victor. Just as Serene and Shiro were being forced to realize, there were times when one had to fight evil with evil without trying to justify every little thing.

Gio killed his opponent especially quickly, ignoring his code because he knew what kind of experience this was for his comrades.

Not long after his opponent fell to the ground as a corpse, a head flew into the air along with a sprinkler of blood. It thudded to the ground in the middle of the chamber for everyone to see.

Serene and Shiro weren’t the only ones shocked by the sight. Their enemies were the same.

All of a sudden, two of their comrades fell like nothing. Wasn’t this supposed to be an easy hit? Didn’t they stay behind so they could farm some quick power?

How did it end up like this so fast?

They looked over at the two teenagers who’d just slaughtered their comrades. Despite having the chance to do so, they did not choose to help their own friends in battle.

They retreated to the edges of the inner ring, creating a barricade that disallowed the two of them from escaping.

The two remaining enemies looked back at Shiro and Serene, while the two of them looked over at Gio.

He returned their gaze with hard and unwavering eyes.

"If you don’t do it now, you’ll have to do it later. Make your choice."

If they wanted to run, he wouldn’t stop them. It would do more harm than good to force them to do something they weren’t ready for.

However, neither of them took the opening he gave them.

Their eyes were shaky as they tried to avoid looking at the blood and corpses as they faced their enemies once more.

Both sides understood each other further.

The two remaining enemies knew they were facing the weakest links of the other group, though that didn’t benefit them much. They were starting to think that they could at least take a few of these kids with them to the grave to avenge their fallen brothers.

And Serene and Shiro...

’It was going to happen at some point.’

Shiro didn’t like being serious. He much preferred joking around and taking life with a grain of salt. It was the best way to avoid getting hurt by anything. If nothing mattered, what could harm him?

He was naturally competitive, and he was smart enough to understand social cues better than most. Yet, he stayed quiet and played the whimsical side character for his own sake.

At some point, he’d have to put down the facade and face the world seriously. He didn’t have to completely kill his own spirit, but he had to learn how to balance ignorance with accountability.

That moment had been delayed for years.

However, it couldn’t be delayed any longer.

This wasn’t his first time seeing death, but to be the one spreading it...

He rushed forward with his flames blazing. He made a commitment that he wasn’t planning to break. He would become a powerful Sequencer for the people who were waiting for him to save them.

Serene almost couldn’t make the same commitment. She struggled much harder, and by the time Shiro returned to combat, she was still frozen.

Her enemy charged towards her with his mace in tow. He slammed it against the barrier she hastily created and pushed her back against the nearest pillar.

Her bubble popped for the first time. She couldn’t maintain the concentration to uphold it.

Bang!

A mace landed in the pillar next to her head, sending chunks of stone into her forehead. Serene desperately rolled away and threw her arm out, creating a bubble between herself and the enemy that popped and filled the air with hostile force.

After being hit so many times, though, he wasn’t foolish enough to just walk into it.

He swung around the pillar and approached her from the side.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Whoooooosh!

While swinging his mace like a madman, he released pulses of energy from his chest that vibrated within Serene’s bubble and filled her ears with a high-pitched ringing that made it hard to think.

She gritted her teeth with tears welling up in her eyes.

She really didn’t want to do it.

She knew she could quit if she wanted to, but how could she?

’I’m going to die...!’

She was going to die if she didn’t kill the man in front of her. She could be saved by Gio or Neriah this time, but what about next time or the time after?

"It’ll suck for a little, but feel free to panic as you need to until you’ve gotten used to it. It won’t take long for you to realize that the things you’ve been learning during your time as a Sequencer haven’t been for nothing."

The words Gio said to her resonated in her head.

She had the freedom to panic and feel her trauma because she was traveling with friends who had her back. Even if she was afraid, she could still stand up and move because they would always push her forward.

Maybe she had to do it with her eyes closed, but she was going to find a way.

Boom!

A huge wave of golden flames filled the center of the chamber.

Voom!

A plume of smoke rose up into the shape of a phoenix before it was consumed by golden flames. The flames spread their wings as if they had sentience before diving back down and crashing into Shiro’s enemy’s body.

His form was already covered in burns. Much of his skin and flesh had been replaced by a charred orange and black mess. When the phoenix struck, it covered his entire body in golden flames and ate him whole.

The man opened his mouth wide to scream, but that only gave the flame more space to invade.

With her eyes shut tight, Serene pushed her arms forward, doing what she’d never allowed herself to do before.

Her power, in the form she’d created, was incredibly destructive, after all.

From her palms, bubble after bubble was formed. A few turned into a few tens in an instant before over a hundred softball-sized orbs were floating through the air.

Anyone could see what was coming next. Gio even made space in anticipation.

Then it happened.

A chain reaction of explosions; a cacophony of eruptions. Such a scene surrounded Serene’s enemy before he could react.

On two fronts, in two different ways, Serene and Shiro took that step together. It was incredibly unfortunate that it was a step they needed to take, but that wasn’t worth talking about.

The sight, the sound, and the feeling of the deaths they caused would stay vivid in their minds for the rest of eternity, but the two of them grew a little on this day.

And at the same time, they lost a part of themselves that they wouldn’t feel until much later.

Nothing could be done to change that.