At the root of it, Brandon's overwhelming strength was the reason. He didn't need the state's help or training—his talent alone was enough to stand at the very top.
His relationship with the nation was the same as any citizen's: the depth of that connection depended on the person.
Unless a crisis was truly catastrophic—so severe that Skyler Quinn, Firewing, and the others couldn't handle it, and the safety of countless civilians was at stake—they preferred not to involve Brandon at all.
They worried he might feel like the government was treating him as nothing more than a tool.
That was hardly impossible. Not everyone wants to be a hero. And even for those who do, after enough time passes, the public starts to take their sacrifices for granted, and the heroes themselves can grow tired of the role, longing for a free, unburdened life.
There were too many factors to consider. In most situations, the authorities preferred that Brandon simply live his life in peace.
"Still," Brandon thought, "it does make sense."
For the government, if they could avoid it, they'd never want a single citizen to die—even in war, they would strive for the smallest possible loss of life.
Brandon's very existence made the idea of zero casualties a real possibility. Whether facing mutant beasts or foreign threats, his sheer power meant the nation could act without fear—if he was willing.
Once, twice, ten times, even a hundred times, he could step in, eliminate the danger, and guarantee survival rates of one hundred percent.
But a thousand times? Ten thousand? Would he eventually tire of it? Resent being seen as nothing but a living weapon? Would it start to feel like a burden?
Not only could that happen—it was inevitable. It was just a matter of time.
Brandon knew he couldn't keep doing this forever.
Some people were born to be heroes, destined to accomplish what ordinary people couldn't.
He admired those people—but he wasn't one of them.
So he respected them, but he could never become one himself.
"…Still, I suppose I should go see how the future heroes are doing in their training."
Smiling faintly, he pulled on a shirt. A shimmer of mysterious energy wrapped around him, and in the next instant, his figure vanished.
BH City – A Certain Village
Because of the rat tide, the military had sealed off the entire area.
All residents had already been relocated to new housing.
Fully armed soldiers, their postures straight and faces grim, guarded the perimeter to ensure no one could get close by any means.
Inside the village—
BOOM!
KRA-THOOM!
BOOM!
A barrage of noise echoed through the air. Above, countless bolts of lightning crashed down, mingled with faint, eerie beast cries.
Squeak! Squeak-squeak!
The sharp, grating cries of rats rose from beneath the ground. The earth split open into countless holes, and a swarm of giant rats poured out. Each was the size of a football, eyes glowing eerie green, their presence enough to make skin crawl.
They massed together like a black army, staring at the humans before them with eyes full of bloodlust and madness.
"In a way, this rat tide is even more impressive than I expected," Brandon mused from the roof of a nearby house.
Individually, these mutant rats weren't strong—an ordinary person with an ability could kill them easily. But there were so many of them.
"Firewing, Skyler Quinn, Chris Frost, Ethan Yates… The military's sent four of their top talents at once."
Firewing's summoning and Chris Frost's extreme ice abilities were unmatched in group battles.
Skyler Quinn's divine dragon ability was terrifying in single combat, and the sheer presence of his dragon's might could suppress the rats.
Ethan Yates' Light of Life could purge disease, heal wounds, and even restore someone on the brink of death.
With them here, the rat tide wasn't much of a concern.
But this operation wasn't meant to train the elites—it was for the Spirit Bureau's regular ability users. Aside from Ethan's healing, the other three wouldn't intervene unless the situation collapsed.
With Ethan around, the soldiers' lives weren't in danger.
"I'm curious," Brandon thought, "just how far their combat power has come."
Aside from Brandon, Skyler, Firewing, and the rest were the top forces in the nation. In the future, they would be generals and ultimate weapons in any war. Naturally, Brandon wanted to see how far they'd pushed their abilities.
The battle began.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Streams of flame shot from an ability user's hands like bullets, mowing down the mutant rats.
"Try my flamethrower, you little beasts!" he roared. "And now—Fire Fist!"
A massive fireball erupted from his body, soaring into the rat tide. It exploded with a blinding flash, flames engulfing dozens of rats and reducing them to ash.
"Your flames are nothing compared to Ace's. Let me show you my lightning!"
Dark clouds churned overhead as another voice rang out.
KRA-KOOM!
A bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk slammed into the rat tide, turning everything it touched to blackened cinders before they could even scream.
"You mages just stay in the back and support. I'll show you what real fighting looks like!"
A buzz-cut man smirked and charged headlong into the swarm, ignoring their bites as he smashed them apart with his fists. Scales of dark brown armor shimmered over his skin.
Still, displays like theirs were rare on the battlefield. Most ability users, despite having overwhelming power, still took injuries under the rats' relentless, fearless assault.
"How do you think they're doing?" Firewing asked the two people beside her at the rear lines.
"I can't say. I've never done a team battle," Skyler replied with a shrug.
With his divine dragon ability, he could stand still and let them bite him all day without taking damage. For him, a "team fight" meant him versus their entire team.
"Same here," Chris Frost said flatly.
With her extreme ice, she could freeze the entire swarm without breaking a sweat.
"You two are hopeless," Firewing said, shaking her head—though after a pause, she laughed.
"Fine, I'm the same."
When she'd first awakened, she could summon a hundred crimson flamebirds. Now, that number had multiplied many times over, and she could even call forth more powerful fire-element beasts. Against a mere rat tide, she wouldn't even need to lift a finger—her summons could handle it alone.
(End of Chapter)
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