Draw

Ren had planned this the moment he spotted the alley.

Ren had obtained a one-of-a-kind Boon, harvested from a Soldier Scavenger—a spider he had slain. Even among its rank, it was in a class of its own.

Its webs were nearly invisible, immeasurably sharp. That was what made them so lethal.

He set up a single strand stretched between the alley walls. The moment the four men crossed it, their legs were sliced at a microscopic level—too fine to notice at first.

They didn't feel it at first due to how small it cut. But they definitely did now.

Ren seized the leader by the collar and hurled him back. He could wait. The others hit the ground, writhing, screaming—legs severed before they even realized it.

A flicker of satisfaction stirred in Ren's chest. These men had preyed on the weak, killed just to make their own lives easier. He could never accept that.

He drained the blood from each of them, slowly, deliberately, ensuring every agonizing second stretched endlessly. Flesh shriveled, life slipped away in pulses.

And when the three fell silent, he turned to the leader. A grin spread across his face.

The man suffered far longer than the rest—not because he was stronger, but because Ren made sure to take his time, carving tiny cuts across his body.

When it was over, an anxious rush hit him. Four men were nothing, but Kai had the other sixteen. Kai was strong but not that strong. Ren had to hurry and go help him. 'But first.'

Ren ran to the back of the alley and found Kael, hands over his ears, eyes shut tight.

He placed a hand on Kael's head, catching his attention.

"I'm going to get Kai. Stay here, okay?"

Kael looked up, into his eyes, then at Ren's bloodied clothes, before giving a small nod.

Ren flashed him a reassuring grin and sprinted toward where he had last seen Kai.

"We'll be back before you can count to ten!"

Turning out of the alley, he just realized that Kael might have heard part of what happened. Ren hoped not.

Gritting his teeth, he shook his head to clear his mind and focus on what was important. He took a quick look around. There he saw multiple bodies at the old meeting spot—eight in total. 'That means there are only eight left. Kai can hold out for a little while longer.'

His eyes darted around, searching for Kai, but neither he nor the remaining Revengers were in sight. Then, he spotted a trail of blood leading onto another road.

"There he is," Ren muttered, breaking into another sprint.

Following the trail, he turned a corner and found more bodies—four more this time. 'Only four left then.'

He slowed to a stop, scanning for any sign of Kai. His gaze lingered on the fallen bodies, his chest tightening at the thought that Kai might be among them. But he wasn't.

Ren continued searching. Then, the sharp clang of steel against steel rang out in the distance.

Ren ran fast, then faster still, heading in the direction of the sound. He had to hurry. Ren could only imagine Kai's condition after fighting sixteen Revengers. Although Kai was the strongest person Ren knew, nobody could kill that many. Each one of them was the best of the best. They were the strongest forces the world had.

Still, Ren couldn't imagine Kai losing. Out of the ten ranks representing will—Slave, Servant, Soldier, Knight, Master, Grandmaster, and the few others yet to be reached—Kai was at least on par with a Knight. Even then, he had slain countless foes, pushing his will to the verge of evolution.

Knowing how strong Kai was did not put Ren's mind to rest. It continued to wander as the sound of clashing steel drew nearer. 'Please, Kai, just a little longer.'

Ren turned another corner leading to a straightaway. There he saw them. Two men, each with a sword in hand. A deep breath escaped from Ren's mouth. And one of them was Kai.

Ren also saw the bodies of three other men lying on the road. Kai must have grabbed a sword from one of them.

Although glad to see him alive, Ren had to admit, he looked awful... or rather horrendous. His left arm was gone, a part of his torso was missing, and a deep slash covered his face, making it impossible to open his right eye.

This would mean death to anyone—anyone who wasn't Kai. But Kai was a Knight nearing Master rank. And after reaching a certain rank on the Scale, you became something more than a mortal. You gained greater strength, speed, intellect, healing, and even better looks. And all of it was evident in Kai.

Anyone past Knight rank could heal from nearly any injury, and that included missing limbs. Kai would grow back his limbs and be able to use his both eyes with some time... as long as he survived.

Steel was crashing against steel, echoing throughout the city buildings. On one side of the raging swords was Kai, and on the other was Gabe. The Captain of the Revengers was injured but still faring better than Kai.

It made sense. Although Gabe was considerably weaker than Kai—the former only being of Soldier rank, possibly closing on Knight rank—Kai had to fight through fifteen other elites, and all of them had unique gifts.

As the battle raged in the distance, Ren readied his dagger. Ready to throw it at a moment's notice, he closed in on the two men.

But just before he could use it, the battle ended...

In a draw.