Episode 7: The Price of Freedom

Talent Reborn – Season 2

Episode 7: The Price of Freedom

Haruto's lungs burned as he sprinted through the collapsing hallway, Renji right beside him.

Flames licked at the walls, smoke thickening the air.

Behind them, alarms screamed, and the sound of footsteps and gunfire echoed through the underground facility.

"Keep moving!" Renji shouted, shoving a fallen metal beam out of the way.

Haruto barely had time to register the pain in his body. The experimental serum they had injected into him was still running through his veins, making his muscles feel both stronger and weaker at the same time.

His head pulsed with an overwhelming flood of skills—memories that weren't his—flashes of people he'd never met.

He gritted his teeth.

Now wasn't the time to lose control.

"There's a service elevator ahead!" Renji pointed through the smoke.

A steel door loomed at the end of the hallway. Their only escape.

But as they sprinted toward it—

A shadow stepped in front of them.

A tall man in a black tactical suit blocked their way.

He stood with his arms crossed, calm despite the chaos.

Haruto's instincts screamed at him—

This man was dangerous.

Renji cursed under his breath. "Shit. It's him."

Haruto recognized the name immediately.

"Mikhael Orlov."

The elite enforcer of the organization. A man rumored to be unstoppable.

Mikhael tilted his head, observing them like a predator studying its prey.

"Escaping already?" he mused in fluent Japanese, his Russian accent barely noticeable.

Renji aimed the stolen rifle at him.

"Move. Now."

Mikhael didn't flinch.

Instead, he took a single step forward.

Haruto barely had time to blink—

Before Mikhael vanished.

In the next instant—

A fist slammed into Renji's stomach, sending him flying backward into the wall.

Haruto barely turned before—

A hand gripped his throat.

His feet left the ground.

He gasped for air.

Mikhael's grip was inhumanly strong.

His piercing blue eyes studied Haruto with cold curiosity.

"You're the special one, aren't you?" Mikhael mused. "The one with the ability to steal talent."

Haruto clenched his jaw.

If this guy was this fast, this strong…

That meant—

Haruto copied him.

A rush of information flooded Haruto's mind—

Mikhael's movement patterns.

His combat instincts.

His physical prowess.

Haruto's muscles adapted instantly.

His body twisted mid-air—and suddenly, Mikhael's grip slipped.

Haruto broke free.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he counterattacked.

Speed against speed.

Haruto's copied reflexes let him predict Mikhael's next attack.

He dodged, ducked, weaved—his movements flawless.

For the first time, Mikhael's expression shifted.

Surprise.

Haruto smirked.

"Not so fun when the prey fights back, huh?"

Mikhael exhaled, then suddenly grinned.

"Interesting."

Then he got serious.

Before Haruto could react—

Mikhael moved faster than before.

Haruto barely blocked the next punch—

But the sheer force behind it sent him skidding back.

His copied strength wasn't enough.

Mikhael had something else.

Haruto realized it too late—

Mikhael wasn't just physically gifted.

He had an ability too.

"He's accelerating," Haruto realized. "He's getting faster every second."

This wasn't just talent.

It was unnatural.

Renji groaned from the floor, struggling to get up. "Haruto—we need to go!"

Haruto's mind raced.

They couldn't win this fight. Not here.

Mikhael cracked his knuckles. "You're strong. But not strong enough."

Haruto's eyes flickered to the elevator panel.

One shot.

Mikhael lunged.

Haruto moved at the last second—sidestepping perfectly.

Mikhael's fist slammed into the elevator control panel.

Sparks exploded.

The doors hissed open.

Renji, still clutching his ribs, grabbed Haruto's arm. "Now!"

They dived inside—

And Haruto slammed the emergency switch.

The doors shut just as Mikhael turned.

For a brief second, their eyes met through the narrowing gap.

Mikhael smiled.

"This isn't over."

Then the elevator shot upward.

As the lift ascended, Haruto leaned against the wall, his breath heavy.

Renji coughed. "Tell me… you copied that bastard."

Haruto nodded.

But inside, he was shaken.

Not just by Mikhael's power—

But by his words.

"You're not the only one."

Haruto clenched his fists.

This fight was far from over.

And something told him—

It was only going to get worse.

To Be Continued…