As Corey staggered backward, a searing pain ripped through his left shoulder, accompanied by a deafening roar that drowned out the chaos around him. He stumbled, his vision swimming as he struggled to maintain his balance, his hands instinctively clutching at the source of agony.

The bullet had torn through his flesh with brutal force, leaving behind a ragged, crimson-edged wound that oozed blood in pulsating rivulets. The skin around the entry point was mottled with dark bruises, a stark contrast to the pallor that had washed over Corey's features.

His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhalation a laborious effort as he fought to quell the rising tide of panic and pain. Every movement sent a jolt of agony lancing through his injured shoulder, a constant reminder of the violence that had shattered his world in an instant.

Corey's senses reeled, the world around him blurring into a chaotic whirlwind of sound and motion. Nausea churned in the pit of his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him as waves of dizziness washed over him in relentless succession.

Despite the pain and disorientation, Corey forced himself to focus, his gaze locking onto the figure responsible for his current condition. Anger burned within him like a smoldering ember, fueling his determination to survive and win despite the odds stacked against him.

With grim resolve, Corey pushed through the haze of pain. He ground his teeth so hard that all could hear the grating sounds caused by his actions. A roar of anger escaped his lips, and he ran toward Raphael.

In the distance, Divine raised his brows when he saw Corey's actions. Meanwhile, Raphael scoffed with unveiled disdain, and he fired a bullet at Corey.

As Corey ran towards Raphael with his mind in overdrive, he was able to keep track of the bullet. After taking seven steps, lightning sparks appeared on his body, and his body instantly zapped to the right.

Woosh!

A silent bullet appeared in his previous position, and it flew straight into the wall in the distance. As Corey ran, he made a decision.

He increased the range of the hearing ability of his Ears of Omniscience, and when he did, his mind was instantly filled with a lot of different sounds. Corey's stars of consciousness filtered out the unnecessary sounds, and a moment later, he heard a familiar sound.

Pop

A sound akin to the sound of a tiny balloon popping filled Corey's ears, and without hesitation, Corey swung his right axe to his right using his only good hand, his right hand.

Clang

Surprisingly, the bullet carried a lot more force than he expected, and he was almost pushed back as a result.

"Argh."

Corey shouted and mustered up more strength to finally push the bullet back. The instant he pushed the bullet away. Corey looked down, and he saw two thin wires around his body. He cursed.

"Fucking he-"

Woosh Woosh! Woosh! WOOSH WOOSH!

Corey's mind was almost a jumbled mess as he found himself spinning in the air like a ragdoll. He cursed and used his hands to protect the back of his head.

A couple more spins later, Corey felt his body flying haphazardly through the air, and before Corey knew it.

BANG!"Sh- Shit."

Corey's eyes almost popped out of his sockets as his body collided with the wall. Although his vision was hazy, Corey saw the outline of a figure calmly walking towards him.

'This is hard man.'

Corey thought as his body fell to the ground, causing a grimace to form on his face. His breathing was extremely rough as he struggled to stand. He wiped off the blood from his lips, and he released a tired sigh.

He looked to his right, and there he saw his dual battle axes on the ground far away from him. Corey shook his head and took a battle stance.

"Come!"

Corey shouted, and he saw a grin on Raphael's lips.

Corey furrowed his brows, and a second later, his eyes widened. He turned to the back and just as he was about to jump to the side, the sound of metal tearing through flesh resounded in the ears of every single individual.

Cough

"Crap."

Corey mumbled as he looked at three shadow spears coming out from his body. All three shadow spears missed his vitals, but with the large holes caused by the spears, he was going to die of blood loss if left unchecked.

"Why don't you jump now rat? Why don't you act smugly now ant?"

A voice filled with mockery, anger, and frustration flowed into his ears, and a few seconds later, a figure emerged from the shadow in front beneath him.

"You finally came out little coward. Do you live in your shadows?"

Corey smiled widely as he looked at Erik who had finally appeared from his shadows. He looked at the shadow spears in his body, and he winced.

"Getting stabbed hurts."

Bang!

"You still have the guts to make jokes?!"

Erik shouted with an expression filled with rage as he slammed Corey to the wall. Corey groaned in pain as the shadow spears pierced deeper into his body.

Corey chuckled, and the instant he did, a powerful punch landed on his face.

Bam

Bang

The punch whipped Corey's head backward, and the wall cracked as a result of the collision.Bam

Another punch landed on Corey's face and another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another

And…

Erik let out all his anger as he punched Corey with enough force that wouldn't kill him. Despite Corey's study bodily defense, Corey was still a tier 2 and would die if he took multiple full-

powered punches from a tier 4.

Meanwhile, as Ariana watched Erik vent his anger on Corey, she felt uneasy and anxious for some reason.

She looked at Divine, and she saw him sitting on her dying subordinate while eating his popcorn with a fascinated expression.

Divine perceived her stare, and he looked at her and waved. He gestured towards the drink in his hand, and he said:

"Thirsty?"

Ariana frowned deeply, and then she turned her attention back to Erik and Corey. The uneasiness in her heart was getting stronger as time passed.

As she observed Erik and Corey, she noticed something. She sensed a dense amount of fire energies on Corey's hands. Her eyes widened in realization, and she shouted:

"Get out of there Erik!"

"What?" Erik paused his beating and looked back with a baffled expression. He saw the expression of horror on Ariana's face, and he was baffled even more.

"Don't go anywhere, Erik. How about I give some light to the darkness in you."

Corey's apathetic voice flowed into Erik's ears, and Erik finally heard something he had been ignoring due to his anger.

His blaring instincts.

Just as he was about to instinctively sink into his shadows, a pair of searing hot hands grabbed his arms, and he screamed, "Leave me alone!"

"No."

Corey smiled widely, and in the next moment, flames that were as beautiful as an aurora engulfed Erik, the Silent Striker.

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[A/N: So, I have a very important announcement to make. Please check Author's thought.]