Holly moved even faster now, like he had limitless stamina he'd been conserving. Not that it made much difference; he'd been faster than Halo from the start.

Holly's smaller frame worked against Halo. He needed perfect timing for his attacks, but before he could even complete one, the kid had already used his momentum to land three or four strikes.

It was like trying to catch a cockroach, annoying and frustrating in equal measure.

But Shadow of Death kept his cool. He just needed to land one hit. Holly could clearly finish him anytime, the kid was toying with him, enjoying the hunt.

He planned to use Holly's overconfidence against him and make the kid's arrogance his undoing. Then he'd finally get answers about why Northern Mist wanted them.

Holly laughed, but Halo endured.

When he attacked, Holly just hopped onto his arm like it was nothing, feather-light. It made no sense: how could something so weightless deliver bone-breaking force?

However, that wasn't Halo's main concern right now.

After launching an attack that Holly dodged as easily as a thrown sheet of paper, Halo seized his chance. While the kid was airborne, he struck, his leg connecting squarely with Holly's gut.

That kick should've done real damage. Instead, Holly touched down as Halo had barely tapped him.

For the first time, Holly frowned.

"I genuinely didn't think you could land a strike. You've done it. Now I'll show you what happens when you annoy me."

Halo retreated backward. Their fight had pulled them away from the group without him noticing. Only Delilah and White were still near the original position.

The air around Holly grew heavier. Halo's limbs felt sluggish and unresponsive as he watched the kid advance toward him.

"I'll start at thirty percent. Let's see how long you last."

Halo swallowed hard, bile rising in his throat. He couldn't move. The murderous aura Holly projected was approaching the level of terror he'd felt meeting Kysa for the first time.

Just remembering that encounter amplified his terror now. He had no chance of winning.

Holly's grin spread unnaturally across his face as he advanced.

There was only one way out. His clones had taken down over half the enemy forces. They were running on fumes, but he needed them anyway. They were his only shot at surviving this.

Sweat soaked through his clothes. His gaze flickered frantically, looking anywhere but at the approaching nightmare. He glimpsed something strange in his peripheral vision, something his brain couldn't quite register until—

Holly halted his approach and broke into wild laughter.

"Interesting. They called you strong. And yet your body is shaking."

Halo didn't process what Holly said, his attention already shifting to the other fighters. Something strange had caught his eye moments before.

When he focused properly, the scene became clear: Delilah's opponent was gripping her neck, raising her off her feet as she thrashed, trying to free herself.

White faced the same threat. The goth girl had fastened some restraints around White's throat. Behind all of them loomed a gateway constructed from those cubes, the same ones Holly had summoned earlier.

"Oh, so it's time…"

Holly stretched his body lazily.

Halo turned to him.

"What do you mean?"

The twisted grin faded, leaving Holly looking like any ordinary kid.

"I don't know, I'm too young. They don't share much with me. Our master just told us to come for the two of them."

Halo's chest tightened. Had this been the goal from the start, taking White and Delilah captive? But for what purpose?

"We'll continue this another time, under better circumstances."

Holly said, and then without missing a beat, formed a portal with his black cube and stepped through.

Halo didn't think twice before charging straight for Delilah. She'd held back from attacking, and this was her reward? Either way, he knew she'd expect her brother to come for her.

Before he could get there, the hand around Delilah's throat constricted. Tears tracked down her ghostly pale face. She wasn't fighting anymore.

But her eyes told him everything he needed to know, she was begging him to save her.

Halo's jaw clenched in frustration as he fought to close the distance.

"Tell your leader to come for her."

The man in glasses finished speaking and began disappearing through the portal. Before Halo could free her, the goth girl repeated his words verbatim to the others. The crack that followed was neck-breaking and final, making Halo feel as though his own life had just ended.

He backed away from the portal and watched as Delilah vanished before his eyes. He was helpless.

But he'd glimpsed the source of that bone-chilling sound. Hazard had done it.

The goth girl's body came apart, coating Hazard and White in blood and viscera. Somehow, Hazard had annihilated her in a single attack.

Normally, Halo would have been stunned, but he was still fixated on Delilah's face before she vanished. And he'd heard enough about Hazard's abilities that this level of destruction didn't surprise him.

"Is everyone okay?"

Hazard spoke while comforting White, who wept in his embrace.

Halo approached on autopilot, his body moving before his mind caught up.

"Why didn't you save Delilah? Do you have any idea how terrified she was?"

Hazard met his gaze with unsettling calm, then bowed his head slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't."

Before the words fully settled, Brave was already closing in, radiating rage.

"He ran away! We need to chase them now!"

Omega stormed over, yanking White by the hand and striking her hard across the face.

Halo took a step back.

He stood there watching Brave rage on about Nava getting away and Omega tearing into White, who wept like she was being tortured.

Hazard remained quiet throughout, while Leto observed the chaos from his perch on the tower.

"Why befriend the enemy mid-battle? They have Delilah!"

Omega's voice was shattered, devastated. And in that moment, everything started making sense to Halo.

Through Nava's intel, they knew everyone's vulnerabilities. Since Halo was a recent addition to NeverLight, they lacked information on his capabilities, which meant sending their most powerful fighter against him.

But it all fell apart because of White. Her Flaw of Friendliness made her unable to attack someone who seemed emotionally troubled. That hesitation gave them exactly the window they needed to execute their plan.

"Would you calm down!"

Hazard's voice was commanding and raw.

"Let's head back for now. Jihriel will decide what we do next."

Halo observed their immediate compliance. They had to rescue Delilah soon. She'd endured too much to die before experiencing what it meant to have a brother who cared.

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