Cole was immediately flustered by the sudden change in the battle atmosphere. The previous battle appeared more like a scuffle now.
Mathias's Innate Spirit seemed to grant him the ability to generate flaming fists capable of delivering high-energy blows.
In an attempt to cope with the situation, Cole decided to utilize the Eyes of Scrutiny in overdrive, further worsening his dizziness.
The Eyes of Scrutiny he had been utilizing previously seemed more like child's play, as now Cole saw something completely different than everything he had ever seen.
He could see the path taken by life energy in Mathias's body and also the obscure pathway of connection between his body and innate spirit.
Mathias finally arrived in front of Cole and immediately threw a punch straight at Cole's head.
Due to the little bit of anticipatory capabilities Cole had, he was able to dodge the attack, but that didn't stop him from feeling the searing heat coming from the fist.
Cole's eyes immediately widened as he thought, "I must avoid contact with this fist as much as possible."
Mathias's partner also didn't remain hiding as he headed further back and began sending water projectiles straight at Cole.
Mathias was already used to this form of battle, so he was experienced enough to move in a way that prevented a hit from the projectiles while still locked in close combat with Cole.
Cole, though, wasn't as experienced or lucky as the two of them, resulting in him being hit by one of the water balls.
"Pwahhh!" Cole immediately spat out a mouthful of blood under the impact of the water ball.
The force seemed to have caused a network of cracks to spread all across Cole's ribs.
Cole was forced to continue the battle in an injured state, and in addition to the dizziness caused by his utilization of the Eyes of Scrutiny, things weren't favoring Cole at all.
Cole's breath grew ragged the longer the battle dragged on, but he stood strong and kept on.
He fought with all he had, venting all of his pent-up emotions, but all still seemed hopeless, as the combined effort of Mathias and his partner was too much for the current him.
"Things aren't looking good," Mathias thought as he exchanged looks with his partner.
"How vast is this kid's life energy?" they both thought.
Cole was oblivious to their inner dilemma, as he kept holding his ground as best as he could.
An advantage of Soul Mantras, apart from the better absorption rate, is the fact that they also allow better quality life energy, and combined with the fact that Cole hasn't really utilized his abilities, he could hold on.
The changes slowly began becoming obvious to Cole as he could feel a reduction in the projectile's frequency and also a reduction in Mathias's flame's heat.
He instantly decided to grab the opportunity and push for a last burst of attacks.
He pumped all of his last bit of life energy towards his eyes; he almost completely lost consciousness due to that, but the goal in front of him kept him.
He could see everything so much clearer; the faint prediction was now very obvious, almost like a premonition.
He rushed forward and threw a full-powered punch at Mathias's crotch before continuing with another punch to the head.
The punch this time landed fair and square, completely knocking Mathias unconscious.
After the first successful victory, he immediately rushed towards the further away partner and sharply did the same.
Cole turned his head to look at Mathias' unconscious body with a smile on his face.
His eyelids suddenly felt heavy as his head began heading straight towards the ground.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, someone suddenly caught his falling body.
"That was a nice battle, kid," the man said with a smile.
His eyes then turned towards the unconscious figures before saying coldly, "Weak ants."
He picked up his phone and made a call again before quietly vanishing from his spot along with Cole.
****A secret Location****
A familiar hall with a large throne-like chair was currently in view; the only difference was the absence of the droves of hooded figures, but instead there were only two people.
Of the two people, one looked extremely young, about Cole's age, and the other looked more mature.
Doctor Thomas sat in front of them, staring down at them coldly.
"Though both of you are failed subjects, you will be my eyes and ears in the academy."
"Do not fail me," Doctor Thomas said.
"We won't fail you, master," they responded loudly.
"You two may leave," Doctor Thomas ordered.
The two guys didn't waste a single moment before rising up and scurrying out of the hall.
A faint smile lingered on Doctor Thomas' face as he thought, "There's nowhere to hide now, kid."
****Cole's Home****
The figure directly opened the door into Cole's room with Cole still on his shoulders.
Before dropping Cole on the bed, he whipped out a golden-seamed letter and placed it under Cole's bed.
He then proceeded to drop Cole onto the bed.
The man turned to leave the room with steady steps, and on reaching the door, he turned back to look at Cole before saying, "You did well today, kid; I hope the path I chose for you is the right one."
After dropping those words, he quietly closed the door to the room behind him as he finally left.
****6 hours later****
Cole was jolted straight awake by the sharp pain in his belly as a result of his intense hunger and also his injuries.
He looked around his room with a confused expression.
"How did I get back here?" Cole said.
He tried his best to recollect the events of the past day, but all of his memories seemed to end at the point where he looked towards his defeated opponents.
He immediately shot to his feet and began scanning around his room, looking for any sign of danger, but he was disappointed as he was only met with the faint orange evening glow.
It didn't take long for him to realize the absence of danger and settle on his bed.
A memory jolt suddenly hit him as he quickly stood back up and raised his bag again.
Under his bed was the golden-seamed letter that was glowing faintly under the evening light.
"What is this?" Cole thought while picking up the letter.