Ch.64: High Stakes

The moment his feet touched the dirt again, Kael exhaled slowly through his nose.

The monster loomed across from him, still as stone—but alive with violence. Its massive arms flexed slightly, dense cords of muscle shifting beneath the blackened skin like coiled wires. Steam hissed faintly off its back. Not from heat, but from exertion. From power.

Kael tightened his stance, lowering his center of gravity.

That thing's not just strong. It's built for war. Like it was made just to break people like me.

His hand twitched. A violet shimmer glimmered faintly along his arms as DarkBind flexed at the ready, the tendrils coiling loosely behind him like shadow serpents. The smoke from earlier still lingered across parts of the battlefield—drifting, curling, catching the broken light filtering from the damaged ceiling above.

But the Artificial Human didn't move yet.

It watched him.

Not mindlessly—but not intelligently, either. Its gaze was fixed, mechanical. Purpose-driven.

Kael knew that kind of focus.

'This thing was given orders. And those orders are about me.'

He couldn't afford hesitation.

With a breath, Kael fired a volley of DarkBind tendrils straight at the monster's legs and midsection, weaving in a sharp crisscross pattern—trying to pin it before it could charge again.

The tendrils hit their mark—but the creature surged forward anyway, tearing the bindings as though they were paper streamers.

Shit.

Kael activated Flashstep, blinking across the field and narrowly dodging the backhand that followed. The gust alone from the swipe sent dust spiraling into the air.

Landing low, he clenched his fists and threw himself forward with Flexweave, his body moving with gymnast precision as he ducked under a second punch, then leapt up to strike.

He drove a Kinetic Forge-powered elbow into the monster's throat.

It barely flinched.

Kael's eyes widened. That should've cracked something.

The Artificial Human reached for him again—too fast, too fluid—and Kael activated Cloak. His body vanished from the beast's sight just as the massive hand swiped through the space where he'd been.

Invisible to its vision now, Kael slid behind the Artificial Human, arms shaking from the sudden shift. One target only. He couldn't risk contact or fast movement, or the illusion would break.

He raised both palms and launched a Sound Spike straight into the Artificial Human's back.

The high-frequency burst struck the monster's spine, making it jolt forward—but again, only briefly. The ringing echoed across the cliffs, fading into a low, unnatural silence.

Kael canceled Cloak. His heart pounded in his throat.

That's six quirks used already. And it's barely winded.

The Artificial Human turned, head twitching slightly as if recalibrating. Then it charged again.

Kael didn't run. He braced.

As the creature lunged, he spun to the side and tapped the ground with his hand—Kinetic Forge absorbing the vibration of the monster's stomp. He launched himself upward using Floating, gaining height, and midair, he activated Thoughtography, locking this moment into his mind.

Not the attack.

The spacing. The movement. The delay between the creature's right and left steps. The slight favoring of its left side.

It's got a weakness. Even if it's small.

Kael touched down again, this time calmer. Breathing steady.

He reached into himself—not his quirks, not even his instinct—but into the discipline he'd forged over two years of brutal training. With Voidflare. With isolation. With fear he'd buried under focus.

That thing wasn't a wall. It wasn't a god.

It was just another target.

Kael moved again—zigzagging, unpredictable, forcing the Artificial Human to adapt. He faked left, then blinked forward with Flashstep, sliding beneath its guard and firing a Shock pulse into its exposed side.

It flinched. Not in pain—but in surprise.

Kael leapt back, landing atop a jagged stone spire. The height gave him distance. Time.

"That's it…," he whispered to himself. "You're not invincible."

The Artificial Human turned slowly toward him, steam hissing from its shoulders again. And for the first time since it had entered the Mountain Zone… it snarled.

Kael met its gaze head-on.

He was scratched up. Lightly bleeding from his forearm. Breathing hard. But his footing was solid.

"I don't know what you are," he said, his voice low and firm, "but if you were made to kill me… they're gonna have to make a better version."

He raised his hand, letting the violet shimmer of DarkBind pulse around him again, more aggressive now. Behind his calm eyes, Kael calculated. He could cycle in Eagle Hunting, maybe pair it with Quickcode to read the Artificial Human's movements. Mix Smokescreen and Floating for elevation tricks. Burn stamina with Healing Aura to keep himself in the fight longer…

He'd need everything. Every ounce of discipline. Every quirk.

'Because this thing isn't stopping until one of us drops.'

The Artificial Human tensed.

So did Kael.

The mountain trembled under its weight as it stepped forward.

And Kael—scarred, steady, and surrounded by the deep shimmer of shadowlight—braced himself for war.

…

The mountain trembled beneath its weight as the creature stepped forward.

And Kael—scarred, steady, and surrounded by the deep shimmer of shadowlight—braced himself for war.

He'd fought villains. He'd fought strong ones.

But this wasn't like them.

This wasn't a person.

This was something built to break people. Something built to kill him.

Kael's eyes tracked the way the thing moved—unnaturally smooth for something that size. Its bulging muscles didn't ripple; they locked, like mechanical pistons. Its arms hung loose, fingers twitching. Its flesh was marred with surgical seams and patches of discolored tissue, like it had been sewn together from scraps.

Its dead eyes met his.

And Kael knew.

DarkBind wouldn't be enough. He needed more offensive power.

The violet tendrils flickering from his back wouldn't bind something that didn't even flinch under impact. His standard kit—Flashstep, Kinetic Forge, Smokescreen—those were meant for people. Not monsters.

He gritted his teeth.

'Then I'll have to push myself further.'

For three years, he'd been careful. Selective. Balancekeeper wasn't just a gift—it was a gate. Every time he touched someone, felt the pulse of their Quirk in his hands, he had to make a choice: store it, or let it go.

And when he stored them—he had to live with them.

Some Quirks twisted perception. Others hurt just to activate. Some had side effects so violent they nearly killed him during early trials. There were Quirks that opposed other Quirks, like fire and ice, courage and despair, focus and chaos. Others simply gnawed at his soul—like letting a stranger live in the back of your head.

So he locked them away.

Until now.

The monster exhaled steam. Its feet sank deeper into the stone.

Kael flicked his wrist.

'Life or death.'

Three glowing sigils spiraled to life across the inside of his arm, each pulsing with a faint, unfamiliar rhythm.

"Guess we're doing this," he muttered.

Quirk: Gravity Well

His center of mass spiked—not heavier, but denser. The world around him pulled inward as a localized pressure field collapsed onto the battlefield.

The monster stumbled mid-step.

The gravel around Kael crushed itself flat. Trees groaned in the distance.

Kael surged forward, Flashstep activating between movements. His vision flickered with speed. He ducked under the creature's wild swing, planted his hand on its chest—and detonated a Kinetic Forge strike point-blank.

The shockwave cracked the cliffside.

The monster slid back—not much, but enough to leave a crater beneath its feet.

Kael dropped to one knee, coughing blood.

Drawback: Internal organ strain. Maximum use time: 4 seconds. After that…

His ribs screamed with every breath.

He clenched his jaw and pushed to his feet, Healing Aura in effect, but draining him as well. This is what Kael had meant when some of the Quirks he had stored opposed other Quirks. What was the point in using a power Quirk that had dangerous Drawbacks just for his Healing Quirk to also cause strain as well.

'It's still not enough.'

The monster was recovering. Steam hissed from gashes in its shoulder as flesh rapidly reformed.

'Regeneration, huh. That real nice.' Kael thought grimly. Figures.

He reached deeper.

He didn't have time to hesitate.

Balancekeeper—Unlock.

Quirk: Friction Veil

A red shimmer flickered over his skin. Kael's boots stopped making noise. His motions turned smooth, gliding like a blade skimming oil.

The creature lunged again.

Kael tilted sideways, letting the blow pass within inches of his head. He spun under the monster's arm and slid along the ground like a hovercraft, twisting behind its back.

Then he drove both palms into its spine and unleashed a concentrated Sound Spike.

The scream ripped through the air like tearing metal.

The monster buckled, grabbing its ears.

Kael wobbled on his landing, knees nearly buckling.

Drawback: Prolonged exposure disrupts vestibular balance—inner ear damage imminent.

He blinked, hard. Vision stuttering.

He slammed his back against a boulder and took a breath.

A wrong breath.

He coughed blood.

His hands were shaking.

But not from fear.

From something else.

He realized… he wasn't scared. At all.

His heart was steady. Too steady.

His thoughts weren't screaming like they should've been.

It wasn't Courage. It was something entirely different.

'Why—?'

He froze.

'These quirks… they're starting to blend into each other.'

And not just on the battlefield.

Inside him.

Like pieces from mismatched puzzles being jammed into place.

His instincts were changing.

'Shit.. SHIT!'

He didn't know what kind of person he'd be if he kept going. But he had to.

'The monster isn't stopping anytime soon.'

It stood again.

Blood dripping. Eyes empty. Bones realigning.

Kael rolled his shoulder.

Then unlocked one more.

Quirk: Pulse Anchor

White concentric rings exploded from his feet, shooting into the ground. A delay. Then a clap of feedback as the rings snapped upward, locking onto the creature's legs.

It froze—mid-stride, unable to lift its feet.

Kael burst forward with Flexweave boosting his maneuverability. He vaulted off the wall, twisted in midair, and planted a Kinetic Forge elbow into the back of its neck.

The beast hit the ground.

Dust exploded around them. The mountain shook.

Kael landed and dropped to one knee.

His left hand went numb. His breathing turned uneven. There was something wrong in his chest—like a stitch that wouldn't go away.

His thoughts whispered:

'Too many quirks. Too fast. They weren't meant to be used like this.'

But he couldn't stop.

He wouldn't.

The creature rose again—slower this time, but still unfazed.

It looked at him. Not angry.

Just… focused.

Like it had one command.

Kael swallowed the blood in his mouth.

Then said aloud:

"You're not human."

The wind shifted.

The creature's posture tensed, as if acknowledging him for the first time.

Kael raised his arms. Shadows surged behind him like wings.

"I've fought killers. I've fought liars. I've fought the kind of monsters that wear masks and pretend they care."

He locked eyes with it.

"But you're the first one that doesn't even pretend."

And under his breath, he added—

"I'm not going down easy."

The creature crouched.

Muscles coiling. Ready to lunge.

Kael exhaled slowly.

His shadow tendrils rippled, unstable and wild.

His other Quirks buzzed inside him like sparks on bare wire.

"And I'm not dying here."

…