"I was just waiting to see how long you could stay hidden," Dysector sneered.
"You bastard! Is your father going to pay for this hotel's damages?!" Eeron roared in fury.
"Shut up..." Dys whispered. In a flash, he appeared behind Eeron and delivered a devastating kick. The impact sent Eeron flying through two room walls and shattering glass before falling outside. He barely survived by grabbing a ledge, but Dys didn't stop. He lunged with another kick, dragging Eeron down with him to the ground below.
Drenched in blood, Eeron thought, 'I can't kill him here, too many witnesses.' Clueless onlookers were already whispering. Eeron bolted toward an abandoned ruin, thinking, 'This place is perfect.' But the massive hands of Dys's Bear Instinct grabbed him instantly.
"Ugh! Hey old man, why are you obsessed with me?" Eeron yelled.
"It's simple. I have to take down Zyla's companions and show her how crazy I am for her," Dys growled, tightening his grip. Eeron tried to speak but coughed up blood instead—it felt like he was vomiting fire. Suddenly, a helicopter appeared overhead. Two figures descended, and Eeron's eyes widened in shock.
"You two? What are you doing here?" Eeron shouted.
"Shut up! And you, Dys... how dare you touch Eeron? Killing him is my responsibility!" Systen shouted, charging forward.
"Elites, Charge!" Dys commanded. Two more men appeared—Rubik and Cuba. Cuba rushed in with a spinning kick to push Systen back, but Systen blocked it effortlessly. The two clashed. Cuba took a kickboxing stance, throwing rapid jabs, but Systen dodged them with ease—until his momentum faltered. A heavy punch landed on Systen's face, followed by a 'Paralyzing Low Kick.' Systen hit the ground.
Seeing this, Kritva threw a glass vial she had been holding. It shattered on impact, and a single drop of the liquid entered Systen's eye.
Suddenly, the world turned into an endless expanse of white. Systen stood in a void. "Where am I?"
A girl sat on a throne before him. "Listen, no one has acquired me until today. You—"
"Whatever queen you are, I know all about Instincts," Systen interrupted.
"Heh! I needed someone like you. BTW, what's my name?" the girl asked.
"Hmm... Venya. That'll do. Now let's go," Systen replied. Venya snapped her fingers. Back in reality, Systen roared, "AWAKE 3rd FORM!"
Behind him stood Venya, looking like a majestic mermaid queen with legs instead of a tail. Everyone was stunned. "What is this joke?" Cuba mocked, attacking again. Systen stood his ground, countered with an uppercut, a low kick, and then unleashed a 'Water Fist' barrage of 200-300 punches. Cuba fell unconscious.
Meanwhile, Kritva was battling Rubik. "Look, I don't hit girls," Rubik said.
"Fine, then I'll hit you," Kritva replied, leaping high. "Time's up, Kyon!" Two wings sprouted from her back.
"They're both lunatics," Eeron muttered, only to see Kritva knock Rubik out in seconds. Kritva, having two years of experience, summoned her Vulture Instinct, 'Kyon,' who pinned Rubik's face to the dirt. "Ma'am, he screams too much," Kyon remarked.
Seeing his men down, Dys snapped. "MASTERED 1st FAKE FORM!" His Bear Instinct went into a full rage, eyes turning blood-red. He lunged at Eeron. Eeron awakened his form, but it was too late—the attack crushed him. Eeron spat blood, but then xyena's voice echoed from within him: "If this happens again, you're dead."
A golden aura erupted, healing Eeron. His body was now under xyena's control. His eyes flashed yellow, like Zenitsu. "Awake the spirit," Eeron said in a calm, chilling voice. Dys turned, and 'xyena-controlled Eeron' waved at him before unleashing attacks faster than the human eye could follow. It was beyond the speed of light. Jabs, uppercuts, low kicks—Dys was paralyzed by the speed.
In a last-ditch effort, Dys landed a massive slap that slammed Eeron into the ground. Eeron's power vanished; he fell unconscious, his skull fractured and face bleeding. Dys, too, collapsed beside him, blood flowing like water.
Kritva, Systen, and Zyla rushed to them. Suddenly, a girl in a brown long coat and hat appeared. "Move aside, kiddos," she said, casting a spell. A green circle formed. Zyla felt a strange power.
Zyla grabbed her collar. "Tell me the truth, there are three Divinities, right?"
The girl's hat fell off, revealing a boy-cut hairstyle. "Caught me! Peek-a-boo!" As Zyla was distracted, the girl pulled the unconscious Eeron toward her and gave him a French Kiss. Eeron's hand was holding her hat, hiding them from the others, but Eeron (briefly conscious) was shocked. 'What the hell is this?' The hat fell, and everyone saw them.
"HEY!!" they all screamed. The girl pulled away, a trail of saliva connecting them. "You have 24 hours. I want my answer," she told a stunned Eeron.
Later, a battered Dys apologized to Zyla. "I'm sorry, Zyla. I never intended to hurt you. If only you had listened..."
"What happened?" Eeron asked.
"That girl... she framed me and used me to get to Zyla. I never wanted this. I built this gang for her," Dys explained.
"Welcome to the team," Eeron said. "We need talent like yours. You did crush my skull, after all. You've got 'Bear-strength,' Biru."
"And the girl?" Kritva asked. "She's the team healer now," Systen added.
Later, at the hotel bathhouse, Kritva and Zyla relaxed in the hot springs. Zyla felt awkward. "Don't worry, it's reserved for us," Kritva said. "We're the same. I've been to public baths before." After their bath, they stood by a vending machine. The boys—Systen, Dys, and Eeron—walked in with towels, Eeron tying up his long hair. Zyla blushed furiously seeing Dys.
Afterward, the three boys stood by the vending machine, laughing hysterically. "Dys, you're lucky, man. You scored a Divinity!" Eeron teased. Dys gave him a death stare, and Eeron's laughter vanished instantly, only for Dys to burst out laughing too.
Systen looked somber. "What's wrong?" Eeron asked.
"I treated you like trash for years. You're probably just formal with me out of fear," Systen sighed.
"It's okay, Systen. You've helped me a lot," Eeron said. Tears welled up in Systen's eyes. "So... I'm still your friend?" Eeron nodded.
Back in his room, Eeron collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Ding-dong. He opened the door to find the girl who had kissed him.
"My answer?" she asked.
"I don't even know you yet!" Eeron replied.
"Fine, let's see how long you stay single. Anyway, got any sugar? I ran out for my coffee," she said. Eeron handed her some sugar.
As she turned to leave, Eeron called out, "Wait, what's your name?"
She looked back. "Em Tennyson."