From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

The man's attention snapped to the boy, who stated with chilling calmness, "Well, I should be fully recovered shortly, and the other side of this planet should be falling to pieces right about now. But I guess I can at least take you down right now."

A sinister smile curled on the boy's lips as he continued, "The fun thing about energy manipulation is that once you focus enough into one point, they make great erasers. Don't you think?" His finger pointed directly at the man, glowing with a bright yellow tint that pulsed with deadly energy.

The man's eyes widened with a mix of fear and curiosity. "So, tell me, why do you ignore all the humans attacking you?" he asked, desperation tinged in his voice.

The boy laughed, a sound that sent shivers down the man's spine. "Such an odd last question," he mocked, his eyes cold and devoid of empathy. "Who would bother themselves with insects?" He paused, his expression turning blank and lifeless. "Now die."

As the boy's finger released a concentrated blast of energy, a brilliant beam shot toward the man's head. Just before impact, a strange liquid of swirling colors appeared, diverting the energy blast into the ground. Discover hidden stories at empire

The man barely registered what was happening before a woman, moving with lightning speed, grabbed him and leaped back, creating a clear ten inches of space just slightly behind the fallen Cyclops.

The woman looked down on the man and asked, "How badly are you injured?"

Her eyes widened as she saw his bone exposed on his lower leg and along his arm. Grimacing at the sight, she shook her head slightly. "You're lucky no organs have been punctured."

The man nodded, his face pale with pain. "Yeah, I'm pretty messed up. You should leave me here and focus on surviving until the vice captain shows up. We were told this would just be a bunch of monsters and zombies, but some damn kid with a rank insignia and insane power showed up. If something isn't done soon, this entire world will rip itself apart."

Jade nodded, absorbing his words. "So, what's your name?"

"Uh, well, you can just call me Shigi."

"Nice name. You can call me Jade in the meantime."

Shigi winced as he adjusted his position, trying to find some relief from the pain. "So, Jade, what's your plan?"

"I'm still playing catch-up on most of this, but I can deduce that kid is a big threat. But he's not the only one."

"I will try to get an opening and figure some stuff out, just stay out of my way right now, okay?" Jade said, her tone firm and unyielding.

"Excuse me? Who is some human to tell me to stay out of the way? Don't think I need you to save me, little lady," Shigi retorted, his pride flaring despite his injuries.

"Well, you have less energy than I do, so you should listen to me," Jade responded, her eyes narrowing.

"Energy? What do you mean? You can see my energy levels? But only—" Shigi's words were cut off as Jade dashed forward toward the boy. She quickly put an earpiece in and said, "Gojaro, can you hear me?"

A moment of silence ensued before a voice crackled through. "Yeah, what do you want, Jade?"

"I've encountered a strong person, and I believe the Angelics are getting more involved here on Earth. How is the situation over there? Also, our Angel friend seems to be an issue at the moment. I'm not sure how long I can hold my own. Where is the backup team the director mentioned?"

As she waited for a response back she pulled her gun from her side and aimed it as the boy who didn't flinch and just sneered "What's a pathetic human going to do?"

There was a brief pause before Gojaro replied, "The situation here is stable for now, but we're spread thin. The backup team is on its way, but they might take some time. Hold on as best as you can, Jade. Reinforcements are coming."

Right she stated before the line went dead.

A sharp thought entered Jade's mind. "He still thinks of me as a weak human? He has no idea I can match him."

Jade lowered her gun, formulating a quick plan. "Get in for a surprise shot to his head!" she thought to herself. With swift precision, she rushed forward, drawing her dagger and attempting to slice upward at the boy. He sidestepped gracefully, avoiding her attack.

As their eyes met, Jade noticed the boy's eyes were a mesmerizing golden color with dazzling blue flecks. Above his head, a blue bar filled with the number 500,000 appeared, accompanied by the same letter symbol she'd seen before. "Okay, so I definitely can't match his strength," she thought, slashing at him repeatedly. Each time, he sidestepped effortlessly, mocking her with every dodge.

"For someone so stupid, you sure do like to act brave," he sneered.

In a sudden move, he snapped his fingers just as Jade was about to bring her weapon down again. Warning icons flashed around her, but Jade's instincts were sharp. She had honed her reflexes to respond instantly to these alerts. She threw herself backward, narrowly avoiding a slicing motion in the air as she realized Kieran had attempted to take her head.

"Kieran, what the hell are you doing?! You said you would handle things on your end, not become some weird kid's puppet!" Jade's voice echoed with frustration and disbelief.

The boy's expression shifted from annoyance and boredom to shock and surprise as his hand rested on his short chin. "Hey, no way a human dodged an attack of that speed. You even reacted before the sword was gripped in her hand! Are you sure you're a human lady?!"

Jade's mind raced as she saw the realization dawn on the boy. "Also, what's with those eyes of yours? I have to take you back to have your body studied for sure!" he declared, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Angelic lady, cut her arms and legs off and sear them. I want to take her back alive. Besides, I need only her eyes."