It didn't look good.

An iceberg nearly the size of a mountain was heading straight for them. By the time they'd spotted it through the thick mist, it was too late to maneuver.

Yet despite its slow approach, they were positioned right where it would land. The collision would be utterly unsurvivable.

They all watched the iceberg in stunned silence as Omega and Brave frantically discussed solutions. Only Leto's True Ability had the range to affect it from the ship. And he looked like death warmed over him.

He'd remained inside since they set sail, nearly unseen because the seasickness had destroyed him. After hours of throwing up into the ocean, his body was so broken he could hardly stay upright.

Saint tapped Halo on the shoulder.

"Can't your blade help?"

Halo's expression darkened for a moment.

He could turn Magnus into a bow, though firing arrows would degrade the blade with each shot. Not that it mattered, Magnus's arrows couldn't break an iceberg that massive. All because Leto was being a baby about seasickness.

Still, he approached Jihriel.

"Think you're strong enough to punch the iceberg into shards? I can turn my blade into a massive bow and fire you straight at it."

Before Jihriel could speak up, Hazard hurried his words.

"That'd be great. I can do it."

Halo stared at him, confused for a moment, before remembering Hazard was strong enough to punch someone into red paste.

Halo didn't hesitate, transforming Magnus into a bow standing about five feet high. When the others grasped what was happening, they immediately moved to help.

Prince and Brave braced the bow's arms as Omega and Halo pulled the string taut. White shouted encouragement from the side while Arlen remained characteristically bored.

They fired on Hazard's mark, sending him hurtling at the iceberg. But his speed seemed excessive, much faster than the energy they'd put into the shot warranted. Halo noticed the discrepancy immediately.

The moment Hazard disappeared into the fog, though, dread seized him.

A bone-chilling sound ripped through the mist. Then ice fragments began pelting the deck.

The others rejoiced, but Saint stayed on edge, her eyes searching. She scanned their surroundings intensely, then her arm shot out. Hazard was immediately pulled back to safety aboard the ship.

The blindfolded man rose smoothly, cleaning his black robes with an amused smile.

"Thanks for that, Dark Saint."

It took Halo a second to piece it together.

Breaking an iceberg that size had created enough force to knock Hazard's trajectory off, nearly plunging him into the ocean. Saint's quick action had saved his life.

"Huuu…"

Saint let out a sound and began leaving.

That demonstration left Halo fascinated by Hazard's True Ability. Asking the man himself felt inappropriate, but Saint's knowledge meant he could find out anyway.

He gathered his thoughts and followed Saint below deck to his room.

On his bed, Kysa and Light competed in an arm-wrestling match, wrecking the room's tidiness, completely indifferent to the near-death experience everyone else had just survived.

"Tell me about Hazard's True Ability."

Halo found himself a seat.

"I hate helping those people."

Halo smiled tightly and shrugged it off.

Saint always professed hatred for Jihriel's circle, but she'd gone out of her way to rescue Hazard. Her actions contradicted her words. Perhaps it was obsession instead. Or jealousy?

"His True Ability is Fated Prey. It's actually quite simple—it has no effect until he considers someone his prey. Once that happens, his defense, attack, precision, and everything automatically surpass his opponent's. He can even redirect their attacks back at them, with twice the original force."

Halo gulped.

Now the iceberg made sense. Hazard had countered its momentum with double the force.

But something didn't seem right.

"Shouldn't he have been injured, even a little, after using that kind of power?"

Saint shook her head.

"His defense is fully maxed. Every stat adjusts until he surpasses his prey. In this situation, that meant his body, accuracy, and attack were all boosted to the point where he could destroy the iceberg."

Halo couldn't help but feel bitter about the inequality. Fated Prey alone would be formidable, but Hazard also had precognition through the Eye of God. The combination was absurd. Completely unfair.

"But it's not that easy…"

Without warning, Saint ejected Light and Kysa from the bed. Their protests and cursing filled the room, but she simply lay down, her silver hair cascading across the pale sheets in stark contrast.

"Hazard serves the God of Despair, so seeing someone as prey has to come from deep within him. Even the slightest doubt about whether they're good or evil would make it fail."

Halo sighed in relief.

He'd suspected as much, but hearing the cost aloud would somehow make it easier to bear.

Kysa and Light finally calmed down.

Light had done Kysa's hair in cornrows, which actually looked better than the wild red mess she usually sported.

"I once fought someone with a similar True Ability."

Kysa said and found a seat.

"He was impossible to beat. I ran away."

Halo's mouth parted in confusion.

"What? You ran away?"

Kysa nodded optimistically.

"He almost killed me… what was his name again? I can't remember. He later became a powerful Sovereign, strong enough that the God of Destruction visited him once. I think he's dead now. At least… I think so."

Halo couldn't close his mouth. Kysa was among the strongest individuals the Voiceless region had ever produced, yet she'd retreated from an unknown threat?

Halo forced a cocky smile and shrugged his shoulders.

If this person could wound Kysa, then logically, Halo should be able to at least graze them, right?

"There's been a new presence on the ship for a while now. It's strong, far stronger than they should be."

Halo ran through the possibilities. Only Prince and Arlen were new aboard, but neither fit. Leto had taken them down before.

Even so, writing them off would be foolish. Either one could defeat him under the right circumstances.

He shoved Saint aside and claimed the bed.

Strong allies surrounded him, sure, but this responsibility fell on his shoulders alone. Delilah was waiting for him specifically. He had to master Death Clone and become powerful enough to deserve that faith.

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