Isaac stared at his hands. One held a large, red-hot flame; the other, a fist-sized orb of pure blood. With a mere touch of his will, both elements changed, growing larger then smaller, shaping themselves into blades before returning to their base forms.

  The smile on his face grew.

  Just a few days ago, he couldn’t have done this. Even trying to summon a small flame while controlling blood had felt impossible. Now, though, with both Manipulation skills mastered? He didn’t even struggle.

  He commanded, and his Viron obeyed, transforming exactly as he wished.

  Yet, that still wasn’t enough.

  Origin Fusion wasn’t about manipulating two elements side by side. It was about combining them, about taking two different concepts and melding them into a single Origin.

  And how to achieve that?

  In theory—at least according to the Interface—it was simple. In practice, however, it was anything but.

  [Origin Fusion (Final Step) - Upon acquiring and mastering two unique Origin Manipulation skills, the Host’s final task is to combine them. This is usually where brute force proves to be the simplest and most effective method. Force one Origin into the other, ensuring that your original power is the one being infused. It is, and always will be, the source of your strength. Origin Fusion simply improves it by adding more power. It doesn’t replace it.]

  Now, while learning how the Fusion would affect his original Origin was useful, he had still expected something more refined than outright brute force as the final step.

  Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have. Even the way he had learned Fire Manipulation could be described as brute-forcing his way through. Why would the final step be any different?

  He shook his head lightly, returning his attention to the two elements in his hands.

  Force one Origin into the other, huh? Okay, let’s try again.

  And so he did.

  Bringing his hands closer together, he focused on the feeling of both elements. The warmth of the flames, and the familiarity of the blood. Then, without hesitation, he forced them to meet, deliberately weakening the fire so his original power could consume it.

  As he had predicted, it didn’t work.

  The moment the blood met the flames, the latter erupted, blasting Isaac back a couple of feet. He groaned and, for the third time in the last ten minutes, picked himself up from the cool, cavern floor.

  “Still the same,” he muttered, glancing at the light scorch marks on his right hand. Thankfully, his regeneration was already healing them. “Brute force, my ass…”

  He exhaled slowly. No use in complaining just yet. Sure, his flames hated being subjected, but he wouldn’t let his secondary Origin walk all over him. It could explode in his face as many times as it wanted. Sooner or later, it had to give in.

  Not today, though, he thought as he brushed the dust from his clothes. No time.

  Somewhat clean and ready to go, Isaac cast a brief look at his surroundings.

  Walls filled with colorful crystals. Light blue, rocky floor. And at the center of it all, the Dimensional Tear, with its veins slithering across the ground.

  His private training grounds.

  Strange as it sounded, this was the safest option he had. With the recent events in mind, practicing his skills in a random forest clearing was just ineffective and reckless. He wouldn’t be able to focus properly if he always had to watch out for not only monsters, but human Hosts eager to put a dagger in his back.

  Hence, his arrival back underground.

  Being here allowed him not only to keep an eye on the charging Dimensional Tear but also to train in peace. The corruption made sure of that. Not even his rampage a few days ago weakened it enough to let anyone but him get this deep underground.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Small wins, even if Isaac still wasn’t so sure about letting the portal exist. He could see why Rakin wanted him to keep it, though, so there was that. Time would tell whether it would prove useful.

  I will be back… soonish.

  Not looking back, he broke into a run, quickly entering the tunnels that, at this point, he knew like the back of his hand. In a matter of twenty minutes, he was back above the ground. There, with a nod to the two guys guarding the cave entrance, he transformed and shot toward Silent Oasis.

  It wasn’t a long flight, taking even less than his trip through the tunnels. Unlike most of the time, today, Isaac landed well outside the village. Once he returned to his human form, he engaged Cloaking.

  Viron spilled over his form like a blanket, and he welcomed it like an old friend. Some tension instantly drained from his shoulders.

  Much better.

  Maybe it was going too far, but Isaac disagreed. He had learned his lesson. From now on, he would take every necessary step to protect himself from another assassination attempt. And if that meant overusing Cloaking, so be it.

  Hell, he didn’t even drop it when he passed the Safe Zone’s barrier. Better safe than sorry, especially given how the population of Silent Oasis looked these days.

  Tense shoulders. Frantic eyes darting around in search of danger. Whispering instead of the usual loud conversations. And beneath it all, the anger a few tried to hide behind a bad poker face.

  Isaac averted his gaze and kept walking.

  Between the news about his assassination attempt spreading like wildfire, the following introduction of the Whitelist, and now the approaching second round of Virus Wars, he couldn’t blame anyone for acting this way. Too much had happened in too little time.

  Nothing he, or anyone else, could do about it, though. Nobody here had time to deal with people scared of assassins or the next round. As for those who disagreed with the introduction of the Whitelist?

  Quoting Elaine, “They can always leave. Nobody’s holding anyone hostage here.”

  To no surprise, almost no one left. And those few who did weren’t a loss to the community. Or so Marie had said.

  Before long, Isaac reached the shared house—Headquarters, as James had taken to calling it lately. Walking inside, he spotted Marie sitting by the table next to the makeshift kitchenette. She looked up, offered him a tired smile, then returned her attention to the papers in her hands.

  He considered asking what they were about, but thought better of it. One, he didn’t care that much. And two, she clearly wanted to finish dealing with those as fast as she could and also get some rest before the next round began.

  So he left her to it and entered the last room on the right. Once the door closed behind him, he collapsed on the bed and closed his eyes. He might not need much sleep nowadays, but who knew when would be the next time he could rest.

  Round Two of Virus War begins in: <6h:19m:01s>

  Just one more.

  Isaac’s internal cloak and alarm didn’t fail him.

  He awoke about half an hour before the timer ran out. More than enough time to clean up and get a quick meal from James’ Uncle, who had insisted on cooking for all of them. Nobody tried to refuse. Aside from tasting good, the man’s dishes now even provided weak buffs that could last up to forty-eight hours.

  Today’s breakfast—scrambled eggs with some kind of meat Isaac couldn’t identify—gave them all slightly enhanced Viron regeneration and an energy boost. Much better and healthier than coffee, according to the cook.

  That said, all good things had to come to an end. Once the plates were empty, Jason departed, leaving Isaac and his three friends sitting in the living room. Harry should have been there too, but the man preferred to watch the incoming transmission alone.

  “Brings back memories, eh?” James broke the silence, leaning back into the couch. “Hard to believe it has already been two months since this bullshit started.”

  No one answered. Elaine simply shrugged, while Marie snuggled closer to James with her eyes closed. She clearly hadn’t gotten much rest over the past few hours.

  And Isaac?

  He silently agreed with James. This did bring back memories. Of their time in Galt, huddled in the small tent Daryl had given them, waiting for the very first transmission to start.

  For a brief moment, he wondered if life was easier back then or now. In the end, he couldn’t tell, not with how much had changed during this short but eventful time.

  Round Two of Virus War begins in: <0h:0m:46s>

  Isaac sighed and looked up at his friends.

  “So it begins,” he muttered.

  10… 5… 3… 2… 1…

  A familiar screen materialized before him. A heartbeat later, Fisk appeared on it, arms spread wide in greeting.

  “Welcome, welcome, my lovely Hosts!” The Overlord exclaimed, his voice as jovial as ever. “I hope you all enjoyed the break, because today we’re beginning the next stage of the Virus Wars! Oh my! I have so many surprises for you, I can barely stand still.”

  A grimace crossed Isaac’s face. With what Rakin had told him, he wasn’t exactly eager for any of Fisk’s ‘surprises.’

  The Overlord, however, continued as if nothing was wrong.

  “The second round of Fusion War is upon us. Or is it?” He grinned. “You see, all those beautiful battles in the first round left us wanting more action—just in a slightly different and even more exciting setting. And so, after many discussions and planning sessions with my fellow Overlords, it was decided that the second round would receive a little tune-up. And by little, I mean a big one!”

  Isaac swallowed, blood running cold at the look of pure insanity on Fisk’s face.

  This can’t be good.

  It wasn’t.

  “Introducing a brand-new version of Fusion War—the Victory Road!”

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