Neon spewed out blood excessively and dangerously. He was In even more danger than he was before. It felt like he was paralysed, he couldn't move a muscle. All he could see and feel now was Nates horrifying strength piercing his body. He then started to kick Neon in the face and stomach as hard as he could with massive feelings of pleasure. Even more blood was coming from Neons body, now from his face too. But thanks to his healing it was keeping him alive however, it didn't make him immune to pain. He was feeling every attack Nate executed on him. "You know I'm actually glad you have super healing third string, it just means I can hit you as many times as I want! As hard as I want! And no one would care haha!" Nate said maniacally as he was kicking Neon in all places. He couldnt take anymore pain. It felt like his muscles were being ripped violently out and detached from his body. He wanted to give up but he couldn't even speak. Suddenly a massive explosion was heard from just outside the colloseum startling everyone....
"BAAAAAAAANG!!!!!"
Everyone was curious to see what caused the explosion and where it came from. When the audience, including all the students, looked to see in the direction of the roaring bang they heard. Shrivels were rushing down their spine, making them tremble in utter fear when they were greeted with something impossible. Nate suddenly had a new rush of emotions. His whole body started to tremble uncontrollably. "I...I...Is this w...what fear f...feels like..." Nate cried in fear for his life. Neon just by laying his eyes on what was revealed before him was too much to bare. Just looking made it seem like a sudden weight was overpowering his body. He too was overwhelmed in fear. Although the two and all the other students have never seen them in person. They were preparing for this all their life and have also seen pictures and videos to know for sure, that what was in front of their very eyes. Were Iratheons....
There were about 10 of them. They were standing on top of the rocks just outside the colloseum. Their horrifying appearance shook everyone to the core making them run for their lives. But Neon still couldn't move after the battle he was in, this was bad. They had an appearance which looked close to a reptile. Or at least their figure was anyway. You see the stronger the Iratheon, the more it could warp its host, twisting flesh and form into grotesque, almost unrecognizable shapes. Their skin was rock solid and had green scales all over their body. And they had bright red eyes and a tongue that was very long that came dangling out their mouths. They closely resembled to dinosaurs and lizards, they had tales which were very thick and dark green in colour. And finally they had sharp claws that could rip through human flesh in ease. "How the hell did they get here, isn't there a forcefield around the city strong enough to ward of even the Iratheons?" Lucy, who's main objective was getting the students to safety, shouted at the top of her lungs. "Everyone run away, the adults will take care of the situation. We will protect the children at all costs!!" She Shouted but still having a lingering feeling if they could even protect themselves, never mind the kids.
"There he is, after all this time, we finally found him. He's taken another vessel I see. Open Wound that traitor!" One of them snarled. The leader of the Iratheons could be seen by anyone. He was massive compared to the others and his eyes, unlike the others were dark black in colour. "My men, we have finally made it to our destination. "He said in a deep and trilling voice" "If you get your hands on Open Wound, kill him without a second thought!" "Yes Raknolle!" They Shouted responding to their captain. They were now initiating the battle which was going to be a massacre. "HEY NEON GET UP, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!" Riyu said as he nudged him. However, he told Riyu to get out of there himself. He looked at Neon with such confusion but could tell Neon was serious. He stepped back as Neon was gathering his strength back. Neon was scared to the bone but it was a one sided emotion as he felt another one rushing and overtaking him. Anger. It was so unusual and confusing to Neon. "Shouldn't I be terrified..." He said puzzled. But for some reason, something inside him was getting worked up. Neon was now fully recovered and got up standing on his feet. Piles of bodies were already starting to gather as the Iratheons were starting their massacre. Pain was fighting the Iratheons at the front as he was extremely powerful but was barely keeping up with them. He looked over to see if Neon had ran to safety but saw him still in no man's land.
suddenly, a massive beam was shot out one of the Iratheons mouth which was aimed at Neon with tremendous speed and precision. But before Neon even saw and realised that the beam was coming at him, it was too fast to dodge and too powerful to block. It pierced him like a bullet making a massive whole in his body. blood bursted out everywhere in all directions but the one that was hit wasn't the one who the Iratheons intended to kill. "Dammit" The Iratheon said in anger and frustration.
Pain collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
For a moment, silence gripped the battlefield. One of their strongest had fallen...just like that.
Kain, still reeling from the havoc the Iratheons had unleashed, froze as he caught sight of it. His chest tightened, rage and disbelief twisting inside him. "Pain… Goddammit!" he roared, voice cracking under the weight of fury and grief.
Lucy's knees buckled, her strength crumbling. She covered her trembling face with both hands, unable to bear what her eyes had witnessed. Neon was the last to realize. His eyes widened, filling with tears that blurred his vision. A broken cry tore from his throat as he stumbled forward. "...No. No, not this. Please, God, no. You can't....THIS CAN'T HAPPEN!" His voice cracked, raw and desperate. Pain stirred faintly, his face pale, blood at his lips. His eyes found Neon's, and despite the agony, he managed a weak smile, relief flickering in his expression. Relief that Neon was still safe. "Hey… kiddo… don't cry," he whispered weakly, coughing blood. "I'm just fine…"
They both knew it was a lie.
The Iratheon laughed, thier voices a jagged mockery. Pain's breathing grew shallow. He reached for Neon with trembling hands. "Neon… I don't think I've got much time. So before I—"
"NO! Don't say that! You can't die!" Neon's words split the air, desperate and childlike.
Pain shook his head weakly, ignoring the cries. "You're not a kid anymore. I knew this day would come… that's why I trained you harder, pushed you further. So you'd be ready." Neon's voice cracked. "Please… no. But you're my dad!" Those words pierced Pain deeper than the wounds in his flesh. Tears welled in his fading eyes, sorrow cutting through him like a second death. Still, he smiled. Still, he held on.
"Listen to me, Neon." His hand pressed against his shoulders, though his strength was slipping fast. Neon's blurred vision fixed on him, clinging to every last word.
"The first moment I saw you… I knew you were different. I knew you would change this world. You're stronger than you realize. I've felt it all this time....that power in you, that inhumane power.... All you have to do is tap into it." He coughed, his voice thinning. "You'll conquer this world. You'll defeat them all. I believe in you....."
Neon's sobs shook him. "But how do I do that without you? Tell me, please, just tell me what to do!" Pain smiled faintly, a peace in his eyes now. "You don't need me to tell you. When the time comes, you'll know. You'll be ready...." His grip weakened. "Thank you, Neon… for making me so happy. For loving me. I'll cherish you forever….....my son."
His hand slipped from Neon's shoulder and struck the ground with a dull thud. His chest rose no more. Around them, Lucy, Kain, and the others stood in stunned horror. One of the pillars of strength, was gone....severed from them in a heartbeat. The battlefield seemed to collapse into slow motion, reality itself refusing to accept what had just been lost.
Neon stared down at pains lifeless body. His eyes, once filled with tears, were now bloodshot, wide, hollow and brimming with rage. His face was frozen, expressionless, yet trembling with a fury so vast it could not be contained by words, nor even his own flesh.
Neon gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling with grief and fury. His nails pierced his palms, blood running down his fists. Slowly, he rose to his feet. His eyes, bloodshot and burning, locked on the Iratheons. Every vein in his body felt like fire, his rage boiling over into something far greater than himself. Just then… something shifted.
It wasn't just anger anymore. A presence stirred within him, rising from the depths of his being, dark and suffocating. The sensation was familiar, he had felt echoes of it before, but this time it was overwhelming, unstoppable. It coiled around him like chains made of shadows, fueling on his rage, feeding on his despair.
Neon staggered, thrashing around as he clutched his head. His scream warped into a guttural roar, his voice no longer his own. The air grew heavy, the ground trembling beneath him as an unnatural force poured outward. Every eye turned toward him, friend and foe alike, drawn by the sheer weight of the power erupting from his body.
The Iratheons froze mid-step.
"This energy....Boss he's coming!!!" one spat. "Thats definitely not a power of human origin thats for sure....hes fighting for control.....boss we gotta do something....and fast!" another cried.
The leader, once a spectacle of pure horror, could now be heard muttering, his face pale. "This isn't just him. Its the boys power intertwining with his own....he....is an abomination...."
A violent shockwave exploded outward, throwing bodies across the colosseum. Neon's scream deepened again, splitting the air like the voice of a beast. All the military staff watching were shocked to the bone. "Didnt this kid not have an ability!? What the hells going on." One teacher stammered. Lucy stared in disbelief. ".....Neon." she whispered, horrified. Her heart ached, torn between fear for her student and awe at the overwhelming power radiating from him. Kain too was just as stunned, his jaw slackening as he staggered back. He had heard Pain mention that Neon might have some hidden potential, a mysterious strength lying dormant, but he had always dismissed it as a comforting exaggeration. Now, faced with the impossible, he realized just how wrong he had been and just how right he was was. ".....oh god....Pain....all along...all this time...you were right...." he whispered, voice trembling. His hands shook as he tried to steady himself, but the raw, otherworldly power radiating from Neon left him paralyzed. Every rational thought he had clashed with the undeniable truth: Neon, the boy he had assumed held no unique power or ability, was manifesting a force beyond anything he could have imagined.
Neon dropped to his knees, his head low. His eyes lifted slowly, the iris of his eyes glowing red, his black hair draining to stark white as if consumed by whatever now held him.
Then silence.
Open Wound, now raised his head fully, his lips curled into a grin that was not his own.
"I'm in control now," he said, voice dripping with a cruel delight. "Time to have some fun." He then shifted into a stance no human eye has ever witnessed. The Iratheons recoiled in panic.
"H-he's doing it! That stance.....what should we do?!" one shouted.
The leader's breath caught. His bravado cracked into raw terror. "We can't fight him. Retreat! Retreat NOW!" They scrambled toward their ship. But open wound was already moving.
"Shadow Scythe."
The words rolled from his mouth like a curse, and shadows above him twisted into a massive blade. It dripped with black mist, its edges glowing with a sickly purple aura. In a blur, Open Wound launched forward, faster than sight. One Iratheon tried to shout a warning. "Raknolle, he's coming, we need to...!" But his voice was drowned by the roar of the scythe manifesting in Open Wound's hands.
"Shadow Slash of Destruction!"
The strike ripped through the colosseum with apocalyptic force. The ground split, but before the attack could reek its true havoc, he willed the attack to vanish, only to reappear instantly passed the Iratheons, and right where their ship lay. Now there was no escape for them. In mere seconds, their bodies were torn apart, green blood spraying across the ground, a testament to the devastating force that had struck them the Iratheons lay in pieces, their green blood spraying across the ground. Only Raknolle, their leader, clung to life. His torso dragged forward, arms clawing against the ground as he coughed blood. Neon approached, each step slow, deliberate. He planted a foot on Raknolle's head, pressing him into the dirt making him scream in pain. "You… you're a monster," Raknolle spat weakly. "A traitor… how could you even att—"
Before he could finish his cries, his skull caved with a sickening crack as Open Wound pressed down harder, silencing him forever. "How could you say that after what your people did. When that happened, you opened my eyes to the truth. Besides, these humans are far more intriguing than your boring asses."
Suddenly, his grin faded as a severe drainage of power could be felt throughout his body, it trembled as the power began to slip away, shadows dissolving into nothing. His red eyes dulled back to black, his white hair falling back into its natural shade. Weakness hit him all at once, his body heavy, his breath ragged.
"What… happened to me…?" Neon whispered. His knees gave way. Darkness closed in on his vision as he finally collapsed...