Flashback
The air inside the abandoned mall was cold and stale, echoing with distant drips of broken pipes and the crunch of shattered glass beneath Ryker's boots.
He moved ahead, silent and focused, the dim rays of morning slipping through cracked windows. Jasmine followed close behind, her eyes scanning every shadow.
Then, it happened.
Four figures emerged from the darkness — masked, armed, and already circling. Trained. Dangerous. But Ryker didn't flinch.
They were surrounded.
Ryker's hand drifted to his blade, his eyes locked on the enemies with that chilling, unreadable calm.
"You all die here," Ryker said, his voice low and final — like a death sentence written in stone.
Jasmine glanced at him, the corners of her lips twitching with grim resolve. "You'll handle two?"
Ryker gave a faint smirk. "Of course I will."
No fear. No hesitation.
Because they weren't fighting for survival.
They were fighting to end this — once and for all.
A crowd had gathered — circling them like vultures. Phones out. Whispers loud. No one dared intervene. They only watched.
Ryker's blade sliced the air with lethal intent as he lunged at the first man — Daigo, a scar-faced criminal with jagged knives in both hands.
His sword swung — sharp, charged with lightning — but just before it could land a killing blow, Natsu, the second thug, stepped in and blocked it with his iron gauntlets.
CLANG! Sparks flew.
"Tch," Ryker narrowed his eyes. "You should've stayed out of this."
On the other side, Jasmine stepped forward, graceful yet fierce. With a shout, she hurled a compressed air punch toward Mikael, the third criminal. It struck his shoulder, twisting him sideways.
But before she could land a follow-up, the fourth — Toru, lean and fast — charged at her with a sword raised.
Jasmine spun, raised her arm, clanged the blade away with a wristguard, and then kicked Toru hard in the ribs. He gasped and slid back, hitting the floor.
Ryker's sword began to glow — crackling with lightning now.
"Ryker, care about the civilians around!" Jasmine warned.
"I know," Ryker answered, his voice calm, but his eyes — burning.
He slashed diagonally at Daigo's chest. The blade hit. Blood sprayed.
"AHHH...!" Daigo screamed, collapsing to his knees.
But then—
A warm, golden light broke through the chaos.
From the edge of the circle, a figure emerged — Levi, the fifth one. Calm, tall, wearing a white cloak, and walking with slow certainty. Light surrounded his hands like a halo.
"Don't worry," Levi said, voice echoing with unnatural calm. "I'm here."
He knelt beside Daigo and placed a hand over the wound. The gash closed within seconds. Skin knit back together. Blood reversed.
Daigo blinked — shocked — then smirked. "Thanks."
Ryker's jaw tensed.
"...A healer?" he muttered, eyes locking onto Levi. "Now this is gonna be annoying."
Jasmine's voice rang out, irritated and breathless, "That light bastard... he's healing them all."
She ducked another sword strike and growled, "Ryker. Change of plans."
Ryker's sword lit up again — this time brighter, heavier.
"I know," he whispered. "We take out the light first.
Ryker's grip tightened around his sword, lightning crackling violently across the blade. His eyes burned with fury.
"Tch... that healer is a big problem," Ryker muttered, anger flashing across his face.
Without a word, he dashed forward — faster this time — and unleashed a flurry of lightning strikes on Daigo, the first criminal. The air sizzled with each hit.
CRACK! ZZZT! BOOM!
Each slash carved into Daigo's skin, blood splattering the tiled floor. He screamed, collapsing again.
But before Daigo could even hit the ground fully — Levi, the healer, knelt beside him once more.
His hands glowed a warm golden-white.
"Heal."
Ryker's eyes widened in disbelief as the wounds began sealing, bones cracking back into place, flesh reknitting.
"Thank you," Daigo wheezed, staggering to his feet, charred but grinning.
Ryker clenched his jaw.
"Damn bastard's resetting the whole fight," he said, stepping back, lightning pulsing around him.
Across the mall, Jasmine was landing solid hits — her movements clean and sharp. She spun, ducked a blade, and elbowed Mikael in the face. He stumbled.
Toru lunged — Jasmine flipped over him and landed a wind punch to his back, slamming him into a wall.
But just seconds later — they were standing again.
Mikael's eye, bruised seconds ago, was clear.
Toru's back straightened as his breath steadied unnaturally fast.
"That bastard healer," Jasmine hissed, sweat on her brow, fury in her eyes.
"He's undoing everything."
She turned toward Ryker, yelling through gritted teeth, "We need to take out the healer — or this fight's endless!"
Ryker nodded slowly, sparks forming in his eyes now — deep purple ones.
"Then we kill the light," he said coldly, staring at Levi.
And with a roar of lightning and wind, both Ryker and Jasmine dashed forward — this time, aiming straight for the heart of the problem.
Ryker's eyes narrowed as he focused on Levi, the healer glowing with unnatural light. Without hesitation, Ryker charged forward — lightning crackling fiercely around his sword.
Before he could reach Levi, Natsu, the second criminal, stepped in front, raising his iron gauntlets.
"Not so fast," Natsu sneered, blocking Ryker's strike.
Ryker snarled, "Again."
He drew a deep breath, channeling the storm inside him. Lightning surged along his arms, his whole body glowing with raw electric power.
Behind him, a massive lightning dragon roared into existence — its shimmering form crackling with blue energy, coiling and twisting through the air like a living storm.
With a fierce cry, Ryker unleashed the dragon's full fury, blasting forward in a surge of electricity and force.
Levi had no time to react.
The lightning struck him directly, engulfing his entire body in a searing blaze of electric energy.
He gasped, eyes wide in shock, and then collapsed — lifeless.
The crowd of criminals erupted in shocked shouts and curses.
"He's dead!" someone yelled.
Ryker stood tall, chest heaving, eyes blazing with triumph.
The crowd's murmur grew louder, some stepping forward hesitantly, others holding back as fear took root.
"Ryker… You think you can take us all?" sneered Kaito, the fourth criminal, tightening his grip on his sword.
"Let's find out," Ryker replied coldly.
Jasmine stood beside him, fists glowing faintly with energy. "We fight together."
Without warning, Kaito lunged at Jasmine, sword flashing toward her side. She twisted and caught his blade, countering with a sharp kick to his ribs that sent him staggering backward.
At the same time, Ryker's eyes locked onto Ryu, the third criminal, who charged recklessly with a heavy club.
Ryker moved faster than the eye could see, lightning arcing from his sword as he sliced through the air. Ryu barely managed to block, but the force threw him off balance.
"Enough!" Ryker shouted, summoning another bolt of lightning that struck the ground at Ryu's feet, sending a shockwave that knocked him to the ground.
The remaining criminals hesitated, their confidence shattered by Ryker's relentless power.
But just as Ryker prepared to press the attack, the healer Levi's body began to twitch — faint, but unmistakably alive.
"What?" Jasmine gasped, eyes wide.
Levi's wounds began to close slowly, the faint glow returning as he pulled at the last reserves of his magic.
Ryker's expression darkened. "No… This can't be."