After a kilometre away from where I fought the Super Soldiers and their robot pets, we finally stopped at a rather spacious area. There weren't many trees or rocks littering the field. It's an open space, perfect for a battle between superhumans. Squad Nova turned around and pointed their weapons at me. I gulped, my hands shook a little, but I forced them to stop by forming a tight fist.

  Fighter, knees bent. Like a coiled spring ready to jump. Paladin’s huge hands pulsed with electricity. I heard a faint click from Ranger’s sniper rifle. Mage pulled out those black marbles again. Despite the tense atmosphere, things were silent.

  Nothing made a sound.

  No birds chirping.

  No wind is blowing.

  Just the loud silence.

  The silence that I broke. “Looks like you didn’t learn your lesson,” I smirk, despite the nervous beats off my heart.

  “Like, how much are they really paying you? Surely not enough for-”

  I cut myself off, quickly firing my laser that shot out of my eyes. Fighter immediately raised his shield to block the twin beams. But was sent flying when I hit his shield with a flying sidekick. The other members reacted. Ranger jumped away to fire a shot, which I blocked with my palm. That was a terrible mistake, as my arm felt pain.

  I shake my fingers in a futile attempt to ease the ache that distracted me, where I barely duck from a left hook from Paladin. I quickly countered by smashing my fist at his shin before jumping up to deliver a knee to his jaw. However, it wasn’t enough to completely stun him as he instantly grabbed me into a bear hug. He squeezed hard.

  “Agh!” I cried out.

  My hands and feet were restrained, so I had to headbutt him to let go. His grip loosened, but he didn’t let go. I started to spam headbutting him several more times before he finally let go. Lesson to yourself, headbutts even when you're the one doing it, hurt.

  “Sorry, but I don’t accept hugs from strangers!” I said as I kicked him away.

  Right away, I had to turn around to block with my forearm from another sniper shot. Like before, despite my blocking the bullet from actually colliding with my chest, it hurt my arm. Then I felt something hit my leg.

  “Darn!” I shouted as my foot became encased in that disgusting, black tar-like substance again.

  Mage then unleashes a hail of bullets at me, but she wasn’t the one who worried me, no. Fighter and Paladin have already recovered and will reach my position in about a couple of seconds. With no hesitation, like our last battle, I clapped my hands, resulting in a powerful shockwave that knocked everyone back. I immediately fired my beams at the tar, which melted in a second. With my legs being freed, I immediately rushed to Ranger, punching him in the face.

  His legs buckled, allowing me to steal his sniper rifle and, using it like a bat, hit him. Launching him back.

  “Not…again…” He groans out.

  I immediately turned my attention to Fighter who moved in. He was faster than I thought, as I wasn’t able to move or block away in time when his baton smashed into my rib before delivering a rather nasty combo that hit my torso and legs. I tried to counter by trying to hit him with the sniper rifle, but he jumped back, and just then Paladin roared, throwing a powerful punch my way. Forcing me to use the sniper with a shield.

  It offered little protection as it shattered, and the force sent me tumbling back to the ground. I didn’t allow myself to mentally recuperate, instead flying high to catch my breath. It wasn’t just me, though the Fighter's chest was rising and falling. Paladin readied his fist; meanwhile, Mage helped Ranger up.

  Speaking of, he seemed heartbroken at his sniper breaking again. Paladin turned to look at his friend before scratching his helmet. Saying an apology, which I could barely hear from how high I am. I exhaled, it seems despite my training with Gavin, Squad Nova is still a pain in the butt to beat. I knew fighting them again wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but still…

  I felt an odd mixture of frustration and respect for these Super Soldiers. They are certainly a tier higher than the ones I fought a couple of minutes earlier.

  [CE : 42%]

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. Cool your head, Red. It's okay, we have more snack bars, and we already took care of the most annoying long-range combatant. I was about to reach for my snack bars, but then my eyes widened as the Fighter looked at his hand to see that he had my snack bars. He looked at it with a tilt on his head.

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  I could see his confused expression behind his helmet. Then he threw it to the ground and stomped on it. Okay, first of all, that’s freaking rude. And second….crapbaskets. He must have picked it off me when he unleashed that fury of attacks.

  I reached into my utility belt to pull on my last snack bar. I clicked my tongue. I should have restocked. But I got cocky, thinking that I had more than enough. Whatever it is, what it is. I’ll still win.

  I consumed my final snack as I watched them with a glare.

  [CE : 67%]

  Okay, so I don’t have that much. Then I’ll make sure that even a single percent does a lot of damage! I started to fly to them, and they readied themselves. But while I was charging, I gave them a peace sign before vibrating to make myself invisible. This causes them to be alarmed.

  Ranger and Mage started firing everywhere in an attempt to hit me. But they didn't even land a scratch.

  “Oh, crud!” I hear Ranger say.

  “Calm down, switch to thermal vision-”

  Fighter was about to say. But it's too late, I was already behind Paladin. I stopped vibrating as I pulled back both fists and charged my laser eyes.

  “Shotgun Breaker!”

  “Urgh!!”

  Paladin shouts as my lasers and lightning-infused fists hit at the same time. This caused him to be launched and collide with a poor Ranger, who yelped. While the team was surprised, I turned invisible again, about to do Shotgun Breaker to Fighter, too. But this time, I was the one who got surprised as Fighter turned around to do a spinning back kick. I blocked it, though I could feel his power through my arm.

  I grabbed his leg, pulling him close to me before smashing my fist to his abdomen. I wasn't done, though, an uppercut, another hook and a right. Before I was forced away with his shield, pushing me back. Then Mage threw something at me. I thought it was a grenade, so I smacked it away.

  Only to realize that it was a stun grenade. I yelped as my eyes got blinded. I was forced to rely on my Mind’s Eye. Paladin was slowly getting up, while Ranger tried to crawl away from his friend, who just crushed him. Fighter and Mage, meanwhile, moved to tag team me.

  Mage at my back, while Fighter on my front. They were delivering unleashed furies of fists and kicks. Damn, I didn’t think Mage would even try to fight me in close range. Her blows didn’t hurt that much, so I allowed them to hit me. The problem was Fighter; he was too fast, and his blows felt like a metal bat hitting me. They were overwhelming me, and I was burning out of CE.

  [CE : 47%]

  I jumped up to avoid their attack. Before I shot them with my laser eyes. It collided on Mage’s chest, making her cry and launching her back.

  “Arti!” He called out in alarm before growling.

  Then, under his foot began to emit a bright light, and slowly he rose into the air, flying facing me as his foot was being propelled by an intense, focused firing, lifting him. Soon we were next to each other. Despite his helmet blocking his face, I could tell that he was glaring at me. The wind blows past us as both of our arms twitch.

  And a second later, I tried to charge at him with an elbow, which he blocked with his shield and swung his baton across my jaw. Then he bashed me with his shield and kicked me away. I moved back to wipe the blood on my jaw. I was about to charge, but Fighter was already on me. I clicked my tongue as I flew back, with him chasing me. After a couple of seconds, I immediately stopped and charged to throw a punch, but he ducked.

  And headbutted me in the face. He then thrust at my face, noticing that he was aiming at my eye. I quickly grabbed the baton, ignoring the pain from the electricity as I pulled him closer to a punch to the torso. He gasped in pain and was already trying to counter, but I pulled back. I took heavy breaths.

  [CE : 35%]

  I’m running out of power. I need to finish this. Red lightning crawled up my forearms as I shifted my stance.

  “Alright, bud, all your broken bones in the future? That’s on you!”

  I vanished. Fighter readied his shield, but that won’t help him. I burst to his left and drove a straight punch toward his ribs. I hear him yelp and try to counter; however, by the time he swung his baton, I was already gone. I reappeared at his right with a hook to the kidney plate.

  “Machine Gun Breaker!”

  I yelled out as I moved even faster to encircle him. I threw punches everywhere, while Fighter was forced to shell up helplessly. A fist cracked against his jaw, then a body shot. A hook clipped the side of his helmet. Then I stopped raising both fists into the air.

  He barely had time to raise his shield as I brought down my hammer fist. The force of my blow shattered his shield into a million pieces. My hands collided with his chest and were shot down to the ground, forming a crater. I gasped as I tried to regain air in my lungs. I slowly floated down, panting.

  Well, that was certainly a workout. At least it's over. Is what I thought, as Paladin stood up with shaking legs, with Mage pointing her pistol at me, ready for more. Meanwhile, Ranger helped Fighter up from the crater. I clicked my tongue as I watched them, hurt, battered, and their power armours damaged and worn, but clearly they could still fight.

  “You guys…don’t quit…do you?” I say between breaths.

  [CE : 25%]

  I swallowed as I looked at my CE amount. Then back at Squad Nova. It's fine, I could still win this. They’re more hurt than me. I still have enough to win.

  As I tried to inspire more confidence in myself, my heart dropped as more choppers and more Super Soldiers dropped down. They were about thirty, not as many as before, but this is the last thing I needed. The Super Soldiers stood beside Squad Nova, ready to put the paws at me. This is bad.

  I’m low on CE and don’t have snacks to replenish it. I could fly away, retreat to eat something in the city before returning here. But I have the feeling it won’t be that easy. I chuckled uneasily. My heart is hammering.

  This might be it for me. I took a deep breath; regardless, I raised my hands up. I have no clue if I’m going to win, but no way am I going to let that be easy for them. But then I blinked cause my Mind’s Eye catches something rapidly approaching us.