Parallel Memory

As Lisa and Zion were reaching the end of the forest they could hear the sound of battle.

-CLANK! -CLANK!

When Lisa and Zion enter the plain area, they saw two figures fighting and one figure on the ground.

It was at that moment when Hiro System Double Power has run out. When Lisa and Zion exited the forest, they saw Hiro struggling against his opponent, and then he was flung back by the Devil Contractor.

[ "Soterai Blessing: Goddess Protection" ]

When the Leader was about to kill Hiro, Lisa used her skill to make a protective shield around Hiro.

-WHAAAM!

Zion took this chance to attack the Leader.

[ "Imperial Spear Style: Obliterate Strike" ]

The Leader was caught off guard. Zion had a perfect hit on the Leader's body.

[ "Huh. More bugs. Hehehe…" ]

The leader was hit in the chest but the attack of Rank-E was not enough to give him fatal injury. Adding to it, the Dark mana that the Leader released was acting as protective armor.

Zion was surprised for a moment. He knew from Leader's defense that the Leader was far more powerful than the sparring partner of his in the guild.

The Leader was at the peak of Rank-D - and with Dark mana, his defense was as good as Rank-D.

[ "I will heal Hiro right now. Can you buy me some time?." ]

[ "Okay." ]

Zion knows his opponent is a tough guy but he is also a young master of Platinum Guild. He can't retreat and act cowardly especially in front of the girl he likes.

And he had Rank-A defensive artifact on his body. He was unlikely to be killed.

[ "Hmph. I will let you go if you retreat right now. Otherwise don't blame this young master for killing you." ]

[ "Hehehe… Is it the way a bug begs for his life? A Rank-E is telling me that he will kill me. Hahaha…" ]

[ "You will regret uttering those words." ]

With this Zion attacked the Leader. The Leader easily dodges his attack and counterattack with his fist.

-BAAAM!

The Leader's attack was precise and deadly. After dodging the spear of Zion, he quickly punches Zion on his rib. Even though Zion is wearing protective armor but the sheer impact of his punch has been able to injure Zion.

[ "URGGG" ]

Zion groaned. If it was not for the protective armor, his rib would have broken.

Zion slowly stood up. The Leader obviously doesn't consider him a threat as he gave Zion the chance to stand up.

He could have attacked and ended Zion's life but the Leader wanted to play with him. Slowly killing others gives more satisfaction than just outright killing them.

From Zion's first attack, the Leader was able to tell that Zion was no threat to him. He was just taking this time to enjoy the battle.

[ "Hahaha. Bug come and entertain me more." ]

[ "You are dead. This humiliation can only be washed away by your blood." ]

Zion was the young master of a Platinum Graded Guild. Wherever he goes, he will be praised as a genius and even Rank-A heroes will show him some respect. He was always protected by the guild; not having suffered until now.

It was his second time that he felt humiliated. The first, was when he was in second place in the entrance exam. He was not proclaimed as 'genius' just because of his background, he was stronger than others of the same age and got first in every exam except the entrance exam.

His first defeat was in the entrance exam and now even a no-name Devil Contractor was mocking him.

Zion charged towards the Leader and attack him but just like last time, the Leader easily dodged the attack and again counterattack with his punches.

But this time, Zion was prepared and blocked the Leader's attack with his spear.

Zion was a genius but the thing that he lacked was an experience. He had experience from sparing in his guild but life and death battle was different from that.

As he was fighting with the Leader, he could see the attack pattern of the Leader. He counterattack when chance appeared and dodge when the Leader attacked.

[ "Hahaha. You have some potential. How about this? I spare your life and you join our rank." ]

[ "Hahaha… That is not how a bug should beg for its life. I already gave you the chance to run but you didn't take it. Now I can only kill you." ]

Zion was growing overconfident after having the upper hand against the Leader. He thought that the Leader was trying to talk through after being pressurized by his attack.

[ "A foolish choice." ]

The Leader increased the power of his punch by using his Dark mana. Zion was able to block his attack previously and thought he could block this one also. So he took his defensive stance and was thinking about how to counterattack next.

But this time the Leader was not playing around, the Leader attacked Zion with the intent to kill.

-BAAAAM!

Zion was thrown a few meters back.

-SPURT!

Zion spat out some blood. This time his rib broke and he plummeted to the ground.

[ [ "Zion!" ] ]

Lisa ran towards Zion. She has finished healing Hiro and gave Hiro some potion. Hiro's strength and mana have been recovered to 50 % with mana and stamina potion.

[ "Hygieia Blessing: Compassionate Light" ]

Lisa used the strongest healing spell she knows. Zion's injuries began to heal at rapid speed.

[ "ARG!" ]

Zion stood up and took out his potion and drank it. He look towards the Leader who was currently not paying attention to him.

[ "Hiro, reconsider my offer. Join our group, you will get everything you desire." ]

[ "Zion, can you still fight?" ]

[ "Humph! Who do you think you are talking to. I will kill him." ]

[ "You can't. He is not someone you can defeat by yourself. We need to work together to defeat him." ]

Hiro after having a battle the Leader knows that even if the Leader was fighting for so long, he was not someone Zion or he can defeat.

[ "Ohhhh. Then do you think you can defeat him? Hiro, don't think you can order me just because you came first in student rank. I was just careless and scored less than you that time." ]

[ "What?" ]

Hiro was dumbfounded. They are seriously in a crisis and Zion was talking about rank and whatnot. He was enraged to see Zion acting like a brat.

[ "Zion we are seriously in a dangerous situation. Can't you abandon your ego for a second and listen to me. I have fought him for longer and I know what he can do." ]

[ "Are you telling me I can't defeat him because you can't defeat him. Humph! Do you seriously think I am beneath you?" ]

[ "STOP!" ]

Lisa interjected. She decide to interrupt them after seeing that situation was getting tenser.

[ "Zion, please cooperate with Hiro. He knows about the enemy more than us." ]

[ "Humph!" ]

Zion had dissatisfaction expression on his face but decided not to refuse since it was Lisa who told him to.

[ "Okay. So, I fight him on the front. Zion will find a chance to find his weakness and attack him. Lisa will stay in the rear and support us." ]

Lisa nodded. Zion didn't nod but considering he was not retaliating it means he agreed.

[ "Let's Go!" ]

[ "Finished your little discussion. I was getting a little bored here." ]

-WHOOSH!

Hiro charged at him from the front. Hiro attacked fiercely but the Leader was easily able to dodge and parry his attack.

Hiro without System Double Power was no longer a threat to the Leader with Dark mana.

[ "Athena Blessing: Reinforce Strength" ]

Lisa used her skill to increase the attack power. But it was not on Hiro but on Zion who was about to attack the Leader from his back.

Zion strength was increased at least by 1.5x. He was confident about killing the Leader after getting this buff.

[ "Imperial Spear Style: Obliterate Strike" ]

The Leader who was busy with Hiro had no time to block the Zion attack. But he also didn't care as it was unnecessary considering his strong defense.

-SPURT!

Unexpectedly Zion's attack breached his defense and pierce his back. After a second, the Leader couldn't hold it anymore and spat a handful of blood.

[ "AAAAHHHHH. I have greatly underestimated you all. I didn't think that with her little buff you could breach my defense." ]

The Leader took out a fruit that was black and emitting a Dark mana aura from his storage ring. The storage ring is something similar to a storage bag; just in the form of a ring but the price was a hundred times more expensive than the storage bag.

[ "I didn't think I need to resort to this." ]

He ate the fruit.

-GULP!

After consuming the fruit the Leader mana aura was increasing rapidly.

[ "Huaaaaaaaaaa…" ]

It increased until it breakthrough to Rank-D. The Leader had become a Rank-D Devil Contractor. Not only that his right arm has grown back and his teeth became sharper. His eyes became red. He truly looked like a monster.

The Leader suddenly jumped in the air. The Leader released all his Dark mana and charged at where Hiro and others were.

[ "QUICK! SHIELD!" ]

Hiro shouted at Lisa. He could tell from the mana released what the Leader was planning to do. He intends to blow up this whole area by using the force of his body and Dark mana. Like atom bomb.

[ "Soterai Blessing: Goddess Protection" ]

The shield appeared in front of them.

-BOOOOOM!

The Leader collided with the shield. Lisa pored all her remaining mana into the shield.

-CRACK!

After a couple of seconds, the shield was unable to withstand the attack anymore and broke into many pieces.

-BOOOOM!

A large shock wave swept the area. Hiro, Zion, and Lisa were all flung back. They were all seriously injured, no longer able to fight. They tried to move their body but they couldn't muster any energy from their body.

One attack from the Rank-D enemy and the three strongest students of the first year were all defeated.

At that moment, three of them felt something they had not felt in a long time.

POWERLESS!