Zion held his right arm and slowly stood up. His eyes remained locked on the C-rank as his mind churned for options to get out of this.

'He's way too fast and strong,' he thought, his eyes drifting over to the two D-rank officers. 'And I can't use everything I have before getting rid of them.'

If he emptied his energy killing the C-rank, the D-ranks would finish him off before he could even stand.

While Zion calculated, the middle-aged man slowly approached, his sword pointing at the ground.

"As expected," the C-rank started, his expression hidden behind his mask. "You can't use those energy shots often."

Zion let go of his right arm, straightening his posture as he got into a proper stance again.

He remained silent as he steadied his breathing.

'The only solution I have,' he thought, his gaze flickering to the D-ranks, 'is getting rid of them now.'

"Don't bother," the C-rank suddenly said, taking another step forward. "Whatever you're thinking of, I'll reach you before you finish it."

Zion knew he could no longer wait. It wouldn't be long before the C-rank reached him.

'I need to do this now,' he thought, gritting his teeth. 'Uriel, ten percent.'

[Affirmative.]

Without hesitation, Zion jumped back, planting his feet firmly on the concrete wall. Then he jumped up with all his strength, a blue light forming around his left arm.

The C-rank immediately noticed, raising his sword in front of him as he dashed toward Zion.

Time seemed to slow down as Zion hung in the air. He aimed at the C-rank first, waiting for the energy bullet to be ready.

At the last moment, he flicked his arm towards the D-ranks.

"Fuc—"

The C-rank immediately noticed, grinding to a halt. He turned around at once, running toward the D-ranks at top speed.

'Go,' Zion thought, unclenching his hand.

A blue ball of energy released from his arm in an instant, shooting through the sky at rapid speed.

The C-rank reacted instantly.

He kicked off the ground with everything he had, his body twisting midair as he swung his sword up with both hands.

The blue sphere met the blade, detonating on impact once again.

The condensed energy exploded outward, immediately affecting the airborne C-rank. The impact slammed through his arms and into his body, ripping him out of the air.

He let out a groan, his body spinning uncontrollably as he was sent back down.

His body crashed into the ground a heartbeat later, armor scraping violently as he rolled and barely managed to stop himself from slamming into the wall.

"No—!" he shouted, already turning his head.

Zion landed a split second before him and burst forward the moment his feet hit the ground. Blue light gathered around his left arm as he closed the distance to the D-ranks in a blink.

'Ten percent,' he thought coldly.

The C-rank forced himself up, his breathing unsteady as horror flooded his expression.

"Stop—!"

The female D-rank turned around, hearing her superior scream.

Her eyes widened as bright blue light flooded her vision.

Zion unclenched his hand, releasing the shot.

In an instant, the energy sphere tore through them.

The female officer's right side vanished immediately, her body collapsing before she could even scream.

The male D-rank was hit lower, the blast melting his abdomen and legs. He became conscious instantly, screaming as unimaginable pain spread through his body.

He clawed at the ground, attempting to sit up for a few seconds as the C-rank watched in silence.

As Zion retreated a few dozen feet, the D-rank's screams slowly faded, and his body finally went limp on the ground.

'Two down,' he thought, gritting his teeth as his eyes locked on the C-rank. 'Let's hope that made him angry enough for part two of my plan to work.'

[Host, you have 53% energy remaining,] Uriel quietly informed him. [Please be of utmost caution while fighting the C-rank.]

"Will do," Zion muttered, taking a deep breath.

The C-rank hadn't moved the entire time, staring at the two corpses in silence, his arms hanging loosely by his side.

'This is good,' Zion thought, slowly circling the C-rank. 'The less focus he has, the easier it is to trap him with the Gravity Wings.'

Suddenly, the C-rank's head snapped up.

"You!" he shouted, his voice shaking as he pointed his sword at Zion. "You're fucking dead!"

The C-rank surged forward, a cold, unfamiliar wave of energy flooding Zion's senses.

'What's this?' he thought, gritting his teeth as a chill rolled down his spine.

The ground cracked with each step the C-rank took, accelerating towards him with his sword raised high.

Zion exhaled deeply and pushed through the uncomfortable feeling. He observed the C-rank carefully as he raised his own blade in a defensive stance.

'He's faster,' he thought, clenching his fist. 'But his movements aren't as precise anymore.'

Despite that, Zion knew it would be over for him if he got hit even once.

The C-rank reached him within seconds, swinging his sword diagonally towards him.

Zion's body tensed, barely managing to duck at the last moment.

The C-rank's sword tore past where his head had been, slamming straight into the wall behind him. Concrete exploded everywhere as the blade buried itself, collapsing part of the building in a deafening crash.

Zion immediately used the dust and debris as an opening to retreat.

'I have to wait,' he told himself, forcing his breathing to steady.

The C-rank ripped his sword free and didn't slow down.

He kicked off the ground, vanishing into a blur.

Zion barely registered the movement before the C-rank was already there, his body twisted low as the sword came in from below.

The impact hit him like a freight train.

Zion was flung sideways, crashing through the corner of a building and landing back on the street behind it.

His vision darkened as immense pain spread through his body. A warm liquid forced itself out of his throat, making him cough.

Finally, he forced himself up, his eyes dropping to his right side.

His blade had snapped in half from the impact, while his arm was bent at an unnatural angle.

'Stay… awake,' he thought, biting the inside of his cheek.

That was when he heard heavy footsteps approaching.

The C-rank stepped through the dust, his sword resting on his shoulder as he stared down at Zion.

"You piece of trash," he spat. "Do you have any idea who you killed?"

Zion's vision cleared as he forced himself to look up.

"They were innocent kids from the Darla family," the C-rank snarled, his voice shaking with rage. "Barely out of training… and you butchered them like animals."

Something cold shifted in Zion's chest, a feeling of annoyance and disgust spreading through his body.

'No!' he thought, biting even harder on his cheek. 'I have to stay focused.'

In that moment, something metallic tore itself out of Zion's back, floating up behind him.

"Now, you'll pay the price for it," the C-rank said, raising his sword above him. "Go to hell!"

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