Peak looks around a little bit more. Echo just stands, watching Peak and waiting for his first move. Peak just gets up and starts to walk to one of the cells, unbothered. He opens it up and checks inside. Peak sees that no one is in the cell, so he closes it.

  [Echo: What are you doing?]

  Peak looks at her.

  [Peak: I'm checking the cells for Pax, duh.]

  Echo looks confused.

  [Echo: You think I'm going to let you do that? I'm a little hurt that you don’t even think I exist.]

  [Peak: Hurt? If you want to talk about that, this little cut in my neck hurts more!]

  Peak suddenly comes to a realization: Echo is gone. A cut appears on the other side of his neck and his leg. Peak hears a voice behind him.

  [Echo: You won’t hurt anymore after this is finished.]

  [Peak: Not cool!]

  Peak grabs Chad from behind. With a smile on his face, he faces Echo.

  [Peak: Ha ha ha! You seem strong! That means you will get to see it…]

  Echo gets into a defensive stance.

  [Echo: See what?]

  Peak smiles wider.

  [Peak: The power of my legendary sword! Chad!]

  Peak grabs the hand and pulls on it so he can unsheathe it. Nothing happens. Peaks keeps pulling, but Chad won’t unsheathe. Chad jumps up and slaps Peak. Chad jumps out of Peak's hands.

  [Peak: STUPID CHAD!]

  Chad does a “Nana Nana Boo Boo” emote and scurries off into the darkness. Peak has his mouth gaping open. Echo looks on with a face that is a mix of confusion and pity. Peak immediately feels a sting and moves his head. A knife zips through the air where Peak's head once was.

  [Echo: I'm done with this farce. Will you fight or will you die?

  Peak sighs and looks at Echo. He gets into a fighting stance.

  [Peak: Thanks for waiting! I'm just about ready for the main event!]

  Peak jumps at Echo with a kick, Echo dodges, and goes to slice Peak's face. Peak webs the ground and is able to dodge the knife. With his leg, he hits Echo's combat vest. Sending her flying back.

  [Peak: Going to have to be quicker than that!]

  [Echo: Are you sure?]

  Sizzle

  『Flame Knife』

  Peak looks down to see an orange knife in his leg. Suddenly, the knife bursts into an explosion of flames. Peak fights through the fire and grabs the knife. Peak rips it out of his leg. Burn marks cover Peak's body as he keeps smiling. Echo quickly closes the distance between them. She throws away her knife and opens her hand.

  『Royal Military Style: Imperial Severance』

  Echo smashes the palm of her hand into Peak's chest. Peak can feel some of his ribs break as he is sent flying across the dungeon. Peak quickly regains his stance and looks back at Echo.

  [Peak: Huh?]

  Echo is no longer there. He looks around for her, but he can’t see anyone.

  [Peak: Come on. Don’t be shy.]

  Sting

  Peak danger sense goes off. He tries to move from his position, but he feels a knife embedded deep into his abdomen. He sees Echo fade into existence. In his torso is a bright yellow knife.

  [Peak: When I said I wanted a surprise party, I didn’t mean this!]

  Echo does not smile at his joke.

  [Echo: My main ability, Invisibility. You won’t be able to see me coming. As for the surprise party. Let’s make it more electrifying.]

  『Lightning Knife』

  Echo twists the knife, and it activates. A surge of electricity is sent through the knife and into Peak's body. Peak spasms in pain as Echo just watches. Echo sees a smile on Peak's face. Echo looks horrified as Peak fights through the lightning and grabs Echo's arm. Echo quickly deactivates the knife before it shocks her as well. Peak is holding onto her hand.

  [Peak: That was quite the shock! Nothing compared to the shock the last guy gave me, though! If I had to compare, it would be like a live battery to a prank gum.]

  [Echo: That knife can produce more than 1,000 volts. You shouldn’t be able to take that with no injuries!]

  Peak thinks for a second.

  [Peak: If that was 1,000 volts, then Hirotos must have been like 10,000. It’s alright, we all make mistakes.]

  Peak winds up his fist and sends it forward. Echo tries to dodge, but she can't get out of Peak's grasp.

  *Echo: What kind of freak grip strength does he have?*

  Echo can only tank the punch that Peak hurls her way.

  『Spider-Limb Strike』

  The hit connects perfectly with Echo's chest, and she skids across the ground. Echo rises to her feet and looks up.

  *Echo: He is unnaturally strong. I will have to play this carefully.*

  Peaks' face lights up.

  [Peak: I landed a hit! See that, Chad! I don’t need you!]

  Peak looks over at Chad, who is doing a jig in the corner.

  [Peak: Are you even watching my fight?!?]

  Peak is angry as he stares at Chad.

  Sting

  Peak webs himself to the ceiling and then lowers himself back to the floor. Looking around, Echo is gone again.

  [Peak: Invisibility, huh? I will have to pull out a never-before-premiered technique!]

  Peak shoots waves of spreading webs all around him, and then shoots a ball of acid into the sky.

  [Peak: Anyone caught in the webs will get burned now!]

  『Web of Perdition』

  The ball explodes, and acid covers all of the webs. Peak looks around, excited to see if he caught anyone. All he sees are melting webs, no people.

  [Peak: I did all that for nothing! I know you are laughing, Chad!]

  Sting

  Peak's arm is cut as he jumps back.

  *Peak: My arm is bleeding badly! I still can’t see her! This is going to be tough. I can’t just shoot stuff everywhere. What do I do? Ahhh, I can’t think. I got it! I won’t! I will go with the flow.*

  Sting

  Danger sense goes off again. This time, the hair on Peak's body starts to shake.

  [Peak: There!]

  Peak shoots a punch in a random direction. Echo quickly becomes visible. She jumps back, but Peak shoots a web at her. The web connects to her combat vest.

  『Webborne Reversal』

  Peak pulls on the web, and Echo comes hurling back at him. He hits her again in the chest with a Spider-Limb Strike. Echo coughs up some of her lunch before going invisible again.

  Echo walks behind Peak while invisible.

  *Echo: He is a weirdo. Danger sense, webs, acid, and super strength? Something isn’t right. Wait…What…?*

  Peak is looking directly at her, just staring.

  *Echo: It makes sense if he can tell my rough position if I attack him, but this is different. He is looking at me directly. I'm invisible, he shouldn’t be able to see me! Wait, is it something else?*

  Echo looks behind her and sees Chad dancing. She breathes a sigh of relief.

  *Echo: That scared me! It was almost like-*

  Peak has the biggest smile on his face while looking at Echo's position. She watches in horror as Peak says the words.

  [Found you!]

  Peak immediately leaps in the air and pounces in front of her.

  『Neurostrike Pounce』

  Peak fills his fist with acid and sends the fist flying at Echo. She is barely able to dodge and jump back. She turns visible again.

  [Echo: What are you? Some kind of monster? How can you see me?]

  Peak starts to laugh condescendingly.

  [Peak: Yes! Praise my genius! It’s simple. I was thinking about how to see the invisible! Then I thought about those tracker things that Sarah sometimes uses! I didn’t have any of those on me, so I had to make do with this. I transferred some of my Netsu into your combat vest when I hit you! I can see my own Netsu; therefore, I can see your position!]

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Peak says proudly with a smile on his face.

  [Echo: You can manipulate Netsu as well? I genuinely am starting to believe that you are not human… wait.]

  Echo comes to a realization about something.

  [Peak: What's wrong? Too scared to talk in my genius? It’s fine, you can still give up!]

  Echo sighs.

  [Echo: Be quiet. You are right, though; invisibility is useless now. I will have to deal with you the old-fashioned way.]

  Echo grabs two knives and gets into a stance. Peak immediately recognizes the stands and turns to Chad.

  [Peak: Chad, if you are going to help, now is the time!]

  Chad just makes a “No” motion. Peak braces for impact.

  『Gold Style Dagger Variant 1st form: Peircing Gleam』

  Sting

  Peak instinctively put his hands in front of his neck, and without warning, a knife was stabbed into those hands. Stopping the knife inches away from Peak's neck.

  [Echo: I'm surprised you were able to react to that.]

  *Peak: Without my danger sense, my throat would have been turned into sushi!*

  [Peak: Guess I'm just lucky. That isn’t the Gold Style I know. What’s up with that?]

  Echo looks at him.

  [Echo: You practice?]

  [Peak: A little. I would show you, but my sword isn’t being too cooperative right now.]

  Peak glares at Chad. Echo thinks for a second.

  [Echo: The sword god Akon, from which all styles originate. While he mainly used swords, his disciples didn’t. Each one adapted his teachings into their own weapons. My variant is mainly used with daggers, but a knife isn’t too different. So I can use it as well.]

  Peak keeps the knife embedded in his hands and instead moves his leg to kick Echo.

  『Royal Military Style: Noble Stance』

  Echo steels herself and tanks the kick to the side with no reaction. She draws the knife out and throws it away in one quick motion. Echo then gets into another stance.

  『Royal Military Style: Bloodright Blitz』

  Peak is hit in four places across his torso in an instant. Each place was a vital point. Peak spits up blood as Echo kicks him back. On the ground, Peak starts to vomit blood. Peak looks up and sees Echo hurling a barrage of knives at him. He tries to dodge, but some of the knives hit him.

  Peak puts up his hand.

  [Peak: Pause… I have a question.]

  Echo stops attacking. She just stares.

  [Peak: After you kill someone… Do you pick up all the knives that you threw? That seems very tedious. I’d imagine it would cost you a lot of money if you didn’t pick them back up, though.]

  Echo does a “Tch.”

  [Echo: Stupid question. That answer does not concern a dead man.]

  Peak looks more intently.

  [Peak: Come on! It’s a genuine question!]

  Echo does not answer; instead, she pulls out two knives and gets into a stance. One of the knives is pure white.

  *Peak: She is going to use another Gold Style technique! This is bad, I can’t defend against a weapon with my defense. Only if I could use a sword!*

  『Gold Style Dagger Variant 4th form: Blade-Step Mirage』

  Peak goes to dodge, but a large slice appears on his chest. He looks up to see the white knife.

  『Air Knife』

  Echo then appears behind him and slices his back. She disappears again. Echo appears back in front of Peak. Peak is losing a lot of blood and is barely able to stand.

  [Peak: Why are you doing this?]

  Echo just stares.

  [Echo: In that case, let me ask you a question. Why do you pretend to be human?]

  Peak looks surprised.

  [Peak: Huh? I am human.]

  Echo points her knife at Peak.

  [Echo: Stop lying! No human has six specialist abilities.]

  Peak tries to defend himself.

  [Peak: Six? No, I'm just a spider specialist!]

  Echo walks closer.

  [Echo: There has never been a case of a specialist who can use the ability of a specific animal. There are specialists who can control them, but none like this. Let me count. Danger Sense, Super Strength, Webs, Acid, Super Speed, and Nightvision. Currently, there are only five people in the world who have 3+ specialist abilities. Are you trying to tell me you have six? No. You are a Spider Beastfolk.]

  [Peak: Wait… No way…]

  Echo starts to walk towards Peak.

  [Echo: I will end you with my next attack. You'd better pull out something, Beastfolk, if you want to live.]

  Echo crosses two of her knives in an X shape.

  『Gold Style Knife Variant Ultimate Form: Golden Guillotine』

  Five Echos appear around Peak. In reality, it’s only one; Echo is moving so fast that five afterimages appear. Each afterimage is aimed at a vital artery. If Peak defends against the wrong one, it’s over.

  *Peak: I’m a Beastfolk? No way… This can’t be real… I’m about to die!*

  Images of the rest of the vassals appear in Peak's mind.

  *Peak: I…I can’t let it end here!*

  Before Echo can react, a large tendril grows out of Peak's back and hits the real Echo. This sends her flying into a pillar, destroying it. Echo gets back up and looks at Peak.

  [Echo: That’s your hybrid form? Disgusting.]

  Peak has red eyes all over his head. The “tendrils” that came out of his back are just two spider legs. Peak is foaming at the mouth as black hair covers half of his body. Peaks' arms look more like claws.

  [Echo: It seems like you are not fully in hybrid mode. They say that insect Beastfolk are the most dangerous. Is it incomplete? No matter, I will kill you anyway.]

  [Peak: I…I can’t let you win.]

  *Echo: It’s incomplete. Not as strong as it should be. Still, it leveled up his danger sense to the point that he was able to deduce the real me in an instant. I need to put a stop to this.*

  Echo goes invisible.

  *Peak: This is perfect! I can still see my Netsu!*

  Peak sees the Netsu make a straight line to him. He quickly sends a spider leg, and it pierces.

  [Peak: I did it! Huh?]

  Peak sees just a combat vest, nothing inside it. He also feels a sharp pain in his back. Peak turns around to see a purple knife shoved into him.

  [Echo: The Netsu was on my combat vest, right? So all I had to do was take it off.]

  『Drain Knife』

  Peak screams as the knife starts to drain all of his energy. Peak's incomplete hybrid transformation goes away as he falls to his knees. Echo throws away the drain knife and pulls out a regular one.

  [Echo: You were strong, but I win.]

  Echo goes to slice Peak's neck. Nothing happens. Echo looks at her hand, and the knife is gone. He looks around and sees the knife embedded in the wall.

  [Echo: What?]

  Suddenly, a huge rock hits Echo on the head, and Echo falls. Chad jumps in front of Peak.

  [Peak: C-Chad?]

  Chad quickly scribbles something on the ground.

  [Chad: I won’t let you unsheathe me against an opponent of this caliber, but I can’t have you dying on me. I will make some space, try to recover a little.]

  Echo scoffs.

  [Echo: What can this living sword do-]

  Suddenly, a knife is sent flying into Echo's torso, and she looks down at it. Echo quickly jumps and dodges another knife. Echo looks around and sees all of her discarded knives floating.

  [Echo: The sword can use telekinesis?!?]

  Echo starts to dodge and counter the knives. Peak takes this time to rest a little bit.

  [Echo: This is annoying. Fine, I will use it!]

  『Factor of Solitude』

  Echo disappears. Peak looks around, and Chad starts running everywhere. Peak slowly stands.

  [Peak: What just happened? What am I doing here? Why am I damaged? I could have sworn I was fighting someone, but who?]

  Peak feels something slide into his chest. He turns around to see a woman start to materialize.

  [Peak: Who are you?]

  As the woman's visage gets clearer. The memories return to both Chad and Peak. Chad immediately runs at Echo. It’s too late, a knife is already in Peak. Blood pours out of Peak's mouth.

  [Echo: My factor. It makes the world forget my entire existence until I reform. My knife is in your heart. This fight is over.]

  Echo takes out the knife, and Peak falls to the ground.

  [Echo: Take a nice, long rest now.]

  Echo starts to walk away, but Chad steps in front of her.

  Chad writes something in the ground.

  [Chad: It’s not over. Turn around.]

  Echo turns around to see Peak standing. She gets a horrified look on her face. He is bleeding from everywhere at this point. She looks at the wound on his heart, and webs are all around it.

  [Echo: You webbed up your own heart?]

  Peak smiles.

  [Peak: Like all good gifts, it won’t last long. How about this… I will use my strongest attack… You defend with your factor… We will see who wins.]

  *Echo: I should finish him off. I should just kill him right here. I can’t, not when he’s this determined.*

  [Echo: I accept. It’s not like I'm going to lose anyway. Use your attack.]

  Chad tries to jump into Peak's arms. He is ready to be unsheathed. Peak has other plans as he webs Chad to the wall.

  [Peak: Chad. Let me handle this.]

  『Factor of Solitude』

  Echo disappears and is forgotten by the world. No one, not Chad, not Peak, not even the other Aspects, remembers Echo in this moment. Peak goes on all fours and lowers himself to the ground.

  Peak covers his whole body with Netsu, increasing all of his physical stats. He starts to jump from every corner of the room. He jumps around the room so fast that in an instant, nearly every place on every wall has been touched. Peak keeps jumping around to build up momentum until he stops mid-air and looks at a spot on the ground. He covers his entire arm in green acid.

  『Predator’s Reign』

  In an instant, he hits that spot with so much force that the floor above them almost crashes down. Peak looks at the crater in front of him. No one is in there. He got it wrong. Peak stands up straight and closes his eyes, resigning himself.

  Twitch

  In a flash, Peak opens his eyes and hits a spot behind him. The punch connects with an invisible being as Echo reforms.

  [Peak: AHHHHH!]

  Peak continues the punch until…

  Black sparks.

  『Black Flash』

  A whirlwind of black sparks covers both Echo and Peak. Echo can feel all of her bones breaking at once due to the force of the punch. Echo's body breaks the sound barrier as it is embedded deep into the wall.

  Peak looks surprised and looks around.

  [Peak: What’s this? I feel like I'm seeing the entire world in a different light…]

  Echo lies in a giant crater in the wall.

  [Echo: I guess this is it for me. I can’t move anymore. How did you get past my factor?]

  Echo looks up to see Peak standing over her.

  [Peak: I didn’t. Predators Reign was not to attack you. It was to place extremely small webs everywhere on the dungeon floor. After that, I tracked your position with the web and told myself, “Anything that comes close to me will immediately be attacked.” I focused on attacking the thing that would come near me with every neuron in my brain. I might be dumb, but I can focus!]

  Echo just chuckles a little.

  [Echo: In my back pocket is a green knife. It can heal nearly any wound. Use it to heal your heart.]

  Peak grabs the green knife and puts it next to his heart.

  『Healing Knife』

  Peak’s wound starts to close. Peak then puts the knife to Echo, and it starts to heal her.

  [Echo: Are you mocking me?]

  Peak just stares off into the distance.

  [Peak: What’s your story?]

  Echo thinks for a second.

  *Echo: I'm going to die anyway. Might as well.*

  [Echo: To make a long story short. I come from a really influential family. I hated it, so I ran away. To make ends meet, I joined the war against Umbra. By that point, I was strong. I could protect people, I thought…]

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  (Echos narration.)

  The dreaded war of Umbra. Officially ended 10 years ago, but the fighting stopped around four.

  It all started when I joined the third division. They were nice to me, and I enjoyed their company. I was good at fighting. I killed many opponents until… He appeared.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Echo is on the battlefield, hurt and battered. She looks up at the man who defeated her. He is wearing a long cloak that conceals his entire body. The hood is down. His face has a large scar across it, and one of his eyes seems blind. His hair is a slick-backed white. His most striking feature, though, was a huge black staff he carried. The staff had a cow skull on top of it and a silver pentagram on the skull.

  [Echo: Bastard. I’ll kill you.]

  The man looks at Echo with pure indifference.

  [???: It seems like you want me dead. That's annoying. I don’t want to kill you, but I also don’t want you chasing me down… I got it.]

  The man raises his staff, and it starts to glow.

  『Disease of Solitude』

  Echo feels a chill go down her entire body. She looks back up, but the man is gone.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  After that encounter, I went back to the third division base. What was left of it, at least.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Ruins of the entire base lay before Echo. She nearly threw up upon seeing all of her friends dead on the ground. A soldier walks up to her.

  [Soldier: We were attacked while you were gone! We couldn’t defend. I'm sorry!]

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  After this, I switched divisions. The same thing happened. No matter where I went, everyone around me died. If I ever got close to anyone, they would die. Eventually…

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Echo is on a battlefield; she is covered in blood as all of her division friends' bodies are strewn around her. Suddenly, the entire world stops. A man appears in front of her. The Old God of the End, Apollyon. Echo lowers her head, not in respect, but in sadness.

  [Apollyon: You seem sad. All of this power you have, and you can’t protect anything that's closest to you. You know why that is? It is because they can’t protect themselves. I see potential in you. How would you like to be a part of a group that can?]

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  (Normal POV)

  Back in the cave, Echo looks off in the distance. Peak sits beside her.

  [Echo: At the time, I was desperate, so I took his hand. Looking back on it, I made a dumb choice.]

  [Peak: Do you regret it?]

  [Echo: Of course! He put me on a team full of scumbags! Forced me to do horrible things… I got what I wanted, a team that wouldn’t die to my curse, but I didn’t enjoy it. If I could go back, I would rather be alone.]

  Peak gets up and stands in front of Echo.

  [Echo: Just kill me now.]

  Peak quickly retorts.

  [Peak: Nah.]

  Echo opens her eyes and looks at Peak. He has a tear coming down one side of his face. Chad brings Peak a tissue, and he wipes his tears.

  [Peak: That’s it! I have decided you don’t need to die!]

  Echo just stares.

  [Echo: Huh?]

  [Peak: I don’t want to kill you, so I won’t.]

  [Echo: If you take me back, I will just get the death penalty anyway.]

  Peak thinks for a second.

  [Peak: I’ve decided to protect you! I will make sure you don’t get the death penalty!]

  Echo looks annoyed.

  [Echo: Wait a minute! I don’t need your protection. I’m not innocent! As a member of the Aspects, I committed genocide, war crimes, and terrorism! If my death can bring those victims some solace… I would be happy to die. What do you know about the law anyway?!?]

  Echo is shouting at this point.

  [Peak: Law? I know nothing!]

  Echo looks like she is about to blow a blood vessel. Her bones are healed now, so she quickly gets up and runs past Peak.

  *Echo: This guy is crazy! I need to get out of here!*

  Echo starts to turn invisible, but a metal stake is driven into her arm. Echo falls to the ground in pain. She looks up to see a man with purple hair and star eyes, Ran. Ran pulls out two more stakes.

  [Ran: Die Aspect.]

  Suddenly, Peak steps between the two of them. Chad unsheathes himself and jumps into Peak's hand. Chad wrote something beforehand.

  [Chad: This brat is not worthy of me. I just don’t want you dying on me, plus this guy is as strong as Echo.]

  [Ran: I don’t know who you are, but if you are defending an Aspect, then you must be my enemy.]

  Ran is about to attack Peak when he feels something touch the back of his head.

  Click

  Selene is pointing her gun at Rans' head.

  [Selene: I appreciate you coming to help, but if you attack one of my friends… I will kill you.]

  Ran looks back at Selene with a serious expression, and then smiles.

  [Ran: So he's a friend? I was all worried for nothing!]

  Selene sighs.

  [Selene: Don’t you have a little girl to look after?]

  Ran thinks for a second before sweating.

  [Ran: Oh shit! MIMIKOOOO!]

  Ran runs out of the dungeon at hypersonic speeds. Selene looks at Echo, then at Peak.

  [Selene: Peak. I question your actions, but I trust your judgement. Don’t make a mistake. I will look for Pax now.]

  Selene walks up the stairs to the floor above them. Peak gives a huge sigh of relief. He turns to Echo. Echo is shocked.

  [Echo: Why did you defend me?]

  [Peak: Didn’t I say it? I'm protecting you now! Let’s be friends! As for your curse… I'm super strong! So I should be fine!]

  Peak puts his hand out to Echo.

  [Echo: What if I'm lying and will betray you?]

  [Peak: Then I will just defeat you again, dummy.]

  A tear rolls down Echo's cheek.

  *Echo: Maybe it’s fine… Maybe I can have friends…*

  Echo slowly puts her hand out to grab Peaks…

  The world stops.

  [What do you think you are doing, Echo?]

  Pure fear runs down Echo's entire body as she turns around. The person she sees shocks her.

  Leader of the Aspects, Old God of the End,

  『Apollyon』