CHAPTER THREE
Conner wasn't a man who sought power, glory, or even recognition. If he had a single wish, it would've been for peace—a quiet life without explosions, betrayal, or near-death encounters. Yet, trouble followed him like a shadow that refused to leave, and more often than not, it dragged him straight into chaos.
He had danced with death more times than he cared to count. And if there was one thing Conner hated more than endless trouble, it was dying. Dying sucked—plain and simple. So whenever he found himself in the jaws of death, he did whatever it took to survive. Because staying alive was all that mattered.
As the captain of the Steele Squad, that same misfortune extended to his team. Time after time, they were hurled into brutal missions that could've—and should've—ended them. But they didn't break. They didn't fall. Somehow, against all odds, they endured.
The Steele Squad was made up mostly of first-rank Shadow Agents, with only Conner and Pine reaching rank two. On paper, they were considered a low-tier unit. In practice, they were the strongest low-tier squad in the entire Legion.
Why? Because every member was battle-hardened. Veterans of countless deadly operations. Each of them wielded rare, second-tier core weapons—gear that made them walking nightmares in combat. But what truly set them apart wasn't their strength or their gear. It was Conner's secret.
A unique ability—one even he didn't fully understand.
They called it the Usurper Skill.
Whenever Conner activated it, the skill would absorb a portion of the enemy's power and redistribute it among his squad. It turned the enemy's strength into their own. It was the trump card that had saved them more times than he could admit.
But the ability came with a cost.
Activating it on himself was already risky. But when used on the entire squad, he could only do it twice a day. Any more than that, and the physical toll could kill him. Still, that tradeoff was worth it—because with Usurper and Shadow Synergy combined, the Steele Squad became an unstoppable force.
And now, they were going to prove it to the infamous JK Stars.
"Activate Shadow Synergy," Conner commanded.
A soft hum filled the air as Mavel, the AI system within their suits, flickered to life. Holographic screens appeared before each squad member, visible only to them.
> Activating Shadow Synergy...
Shadow Link established...
Optimizing shared control...
Synchronization complete.
Then, a separate message appeared in front of Conner alone:
> [Usurper Skill Available. Activate Now?]
[YES / NO]
Conner didn't hesitate.
"Yes," he whispered.
The system responded instantly:
> Usurper Skill activated.
Enemy energy detected...
Partial enemy power absorbed.
Steele Squad stats enhanced.
Conner's lips curled into a faint smile as he felt the surge of power ripple through him. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was enough—enough to tip the scale in this brutal clash against the space gangs. Behind him, the rest of the Steele Squad stirred with renewed strength. Their limbs felt lighter, their senses sharper. The subtle boost only heightened their morale.
Across the room, the leader of the JK Stars snarled, caught between panic and fury. His voice cracked through the air in a roar.
"Kill them!"
And with that, chaos erupted.
Before the gang could lunge, Conner raised his hand. Thin needles of shadow formed in midair and launched toward the ceiling, shattering every light bulb in an instant. The room was swallowed in darkness.
But that was exactly what Conner wanted.
In the pitch-black room, confusion consumed the JK Stars. Screams rang out, short and sharp—followed by silence. One after another.
Unlike the gang members, the Steele Squad had no fear of the dark. They thrived in it. Shadow Sense allowed them to see as clearly as if it were daylight—perhaps even better. And now, with Conner tilting the battlefield in their favor, they weren't about to waste the opportunity.
Weapons drawn, they moved like ghosts.
The gang never stood a chance.
Though the JK Stars outnumbered them, and a few among them had some resistance to the dark, numbers alone weren't enough. Not against warriors forged in blood and fire. The Steele Squad's experience and coordination became immediately apparent.
Pine's crimson chains lashed out with deadly precision, tearing through enemies like thread. With every drop of blood they spilled, the chains pulsed brighter—faster, stronger, deadlier. He dispatched elite gang members with terrifying ease.
Then there was the giant.
Wielding two titanic clubs, he swung with brutal force. Each strike shattered bones, sent enemies flying, or crushed them into the floor. His strength alone was enough to thin out the gang's numbers with alarming speed. What little resistance they had left began to collapse.
The room echoed with shrieks, thuds, and the sharp hiss of steel slicing through flesh.
Within minutes, most of the JK Stars were either unconscious, dead, or retreating blindly into the dark.
Then it happened.
Just as Conner drove his blade through the stomach of a collapsing gang member, a sudden flash of blinding light exploded across the room. The squad flinched, shielding their eyes as the darkness was ripped away.
As their vision adjusted, they saw them.
Four glowing figures now stood beside the two-headed leader of the JK Stars—white, humanoid beings that looked like walking light bulbs. Their bodies pulsed with radiant energy that made even the walls tremble.
The gang boss stood at the center, eyes wide, both mouths gaping in disbelief. Nearly his entire crew had been wiped out in under three minutes—and now, he had no shadows left to hide in.
The Steele Squad remained standing, barely scratched, with only minor wounds. That fact alone made him swallow hard.
"Impressive, right?" Conner said casually, his voice calm and warm. But to the boss, that smile wasn't comforting—it was terrifying. A devil's grin.
"Attack!" the boss barked.
The four glowing beings—his strongest elites—stepped forward.
This wouldn't be easy.
With the room now flooded in light, the Steele Squad's shadow abilities were weaker.
Conner engaged the two-headed leader without hesitation. His fiery red gauntlet shimmered with power as he launched into a series of rapid attacks. Blow after blow clashed as steel met steel, flame met fury. Despite his best efforts, Conner quickly realized the truth—he was being overpowered.
Even with the enhanced strength granted by the red gauntlet, the gang boss's brute force and dual awareness gave him a distinct edge.
But Conner wasn't worried.
He hadn't even begun to show his full hand.
As the towering enemy swung his blade in a sweeping arc toward Conner's throat, Conner twisted at the last moment, narrowly evading the fatal strike. He raised two fingers, and shadows surged—condensing into twin black bolts at his fingertips. With a flick, they shot forward, aimed straight at both of the gang boss's heads.
The two-headed brute reacted fast, swinging his massive blade in a defensive arc. He deflected the projectiles—but then he froze.
The shadows exploded on impact, not with force, but with smoke, blotting out his vision for a split second.
It was all the time Conner needed.
He surged forward, driving a brutal punch straight into the gang boss's chest. A split-second later, the red gauntlet erupted in flame.
A thunderous boom filled the room as the flame blasted through the man's torso, leaving a charred hole where his heart had been.
The giant fell with a lifeless thud.
Conner exhaled, turning to survey the rest of the battlefield. His squad was still engaged in fierce combat, but the tide had turned. The luminous warriors had proven troublesome—especially under the radiant light—but they were being systematically overwhelmed.
One by one, the light beings fell.
The Steele Squad, though tired, stood ready for more. Their shadows flickered, blades stained with light and blood alike.
Conner allowed himself a tired but satisfied smile.
It was over.
They had won.
Finally… he could return to Earth.
Home.
But his moment of relief was cut short.
"Hey, Conner," Pine said, stepping up beside him, bloodied but alert. "What about the boss?"
Conner smirked, gesturing casually behind him. "That big guy? I took care of him—no stress."
He turned to point at the corpse… and froze.
It was gone.
"…Damn it," Conner growled.
Without another word, he dropped into his own shadow, vanishing from view as he followed the faint trail of blood—footprints leading away from the battlefield.
He clenched his jaw.
He had underestimated him.
If the guy had two heads… then why not two hearts?
But that didn't matter.
With one heart gone, he was weakened. He wouldn't get far.
Conner would catch up in no time.
—
Seconds later, Conner stood at the edge of a vast cliff, gazing into the distance. Shadows swirled around him, thick and turbulent. One by one, the rest of the Steele Squad emerged from the darkness.
Pine stepped forward. "Why are you just standing there?" he asked. "Did you lose him?"
Conner didn't respond at first.
Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"No. He's hiding."
Pine frowned. "Where?"
Conner didn't speak. He simply raised a hand and pointed.
Upward.
Into the vast dark space above the ash-gray planet.
The others narrowed their eyes. They focused, squinting against the cosmic mist… and then they saw it.
Their expressions drained of color.
Floating there—massive, silent, and burning red—was a titanic warship.
A living fortress of metal and fire.
Pine's voice cracked in disbelief. "Isn't that… a Red Cosmic Army Ship?"
Conner nodded grimly. "Yeah. And guess what?"
He turned to them, eyes sharp and deadly serious.
"That's exactly where our target ran into."
—
TO BE CONTINUED...
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