Ren dropped the cake he had gotten for Carmen and activated all the rings on both hands. They expelled a dark red–hued light that pulsed around him.
Where did they go? Ren thought. Who could've taken them, and where? This doesn't make sense—we've basically gotten rid of all violent criminals in this area so how—
Then it clicked.
The White Reaper.
"I need to call Koco," Ren muttered.
Ren grabbed his phone and tried to call Koco, but it wouldn't turn on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure standing under a flickering streetlight. It flickered once… twice…
On the third flicker, the figure was gone.
Ren heard a sharp exhale from behind him, just like before—but this time he moved at the perfect moment. He turned around to see the White Reaper standing there, ready to fight. Ren locked eyes with him, not daring to blink.
"Where's Carmen and Zee?!" Ren yelled.
The Reaper slowly walked toward him.
Then he vanished.
The only thing left behind was a small dust plume where his foot had been. Ren looked in every direction before looking up, hearing clothing flutter in the air.
The White Reaper was on top of a building.
He jumped down directly toward Ren.
Ren dashed out of the way, scraping his leg against the Reaper's boot as he landed. The ground cracked and crumbled outward from the impact.
"It's your time, Ren," the Reaper said coldly.
Those words sent chills down Ren's spine, freezing him for just a second.
The Reaper lunged.
He slammed Ren in the gut, then backhanded him with the backside of his gauntlet. Ren was sent flying down the street, coughing up blood as he skidded across the pavement.
It's okay, Ren thought. I can still fight without using my second wind.
He landed on his hands, bounced back up onto his feet, then stumbled and fell backward. As he tried to assess the damage, he saw something on the ground.
Carmen's black bowtie.
All pain vanished.
Only rage remained.
Ren got up and charged the Reaper, throwing ten rings toward him and five into the air above. Eight of the rings exploded on the ground. Two detonated into smoke.
Ren caught the rings above him and scattered them across the smoke-filled area. He heard four more explosions—then a metallic ting.
He saw the Reaper expose the ring embedded in the palm of his gauntlet.
"That's it?" the Reaper said as the ring slid off his hand. "I thought you got stronger."
"Shut up!" Ren yelled. "I'm going to kill you!"
Ren threw three rings into the air. One floated higher than the others, directly above his head. The other two hovered behind him, slightly apart.
Eyes opened inside the rings.
Three eyes, all with red irises.
"Now you can't jump on me," Ren said aggressively. "You can't hide—not when I'm using Shen."
Ren grabbed two more rings and put them on his right middle finger, amplifying his laser speed and power. Then he grabbed four rings and slid them onto his left hand. His claws grew three times their size.
"Well," the Reaper said, drawing his katanas from behind his white cape, dragging them along the ground and creating sparks, "I guess I was wrong. You have gotten stronger."
He slammed the swords into the ground, creating a wall of sparks—and then he was gone.
Ren could see it.
He could predict the movement.
He turned just in time to see the Reaper throwing a punch. Ren blocked with his claws—but they dissipated, just like they had when he fought Koco.
All anger disappeared.
Confusion set in.
What the hell just happened? I thought—he didn't have PAACC…
"I'm assuming you already know this," the Reaper said with a small chuckle. "My armaments are imbued with Null. You can't win, Ren."
He grabbed Ren by the face, slammed him into the ground, then hurled him upward. As Ren came back down, the Reaper side-kicked him in the gut.
Ren blocked with his arms, still taking heavy damage. He flew backward, reactivating his claws and digging them into the pavement to regain footing.
Once steady, Ren charged again, extending his right hand and unleashing a massive barrage of lasers.
The Reaper drew his katanas and began slashing and dodging. Most lasers were nullified or avoided, but some grazed him, tearing holes through his cape and scorching the fabric.
After a moment, they both moved at the same time.
Ren used his claws to leap, shifting midair to club the Reaper—but missed. He landed and swept the Reaper's legs. The Reaper blocked and tried to grab him, but Ren pulled back and jumped away.
"Looks like I'm going to have to get serious," the Reaper said.
What does he mean—
Ren didn't finish the thought.
The Reaper moved faster than before.
I can see it… but my body can't keep up, Ren thought.
Punch after punch slammed into him, each hit feeling like being struck by a speeding truck.
The Reaper grabbed Ren's clothes, spun, and threw him through the door of a butcher shop.
Ren landed in the back room.
What he saw made his stomach turn.
Carmen lay lifeless on a metal table, strangulation marks around her neck and a stab wound in her gut.
Zee was hanging from the wall by the hood of her pink fox onesie. Her left arm and right leg were mangled. Three stab wounds—one in her chest, one in her side, and one in her neck.
Ren's face twisted with grief, rage, pain, and despair.
I had one goal… I wanted to protect them. I wanted to keep them safe… I'm sorry, Carmen. I'm sorry, Zee.
Footsteps echoed through the shop.
"I hate you," the Reaper said coldly. "And every PAACC user on this damned planet. So I decided to kill them all!"
"SO YOU KILLED TWO INNOCENT LITTLE GIRLS?!" Ren screamed. "WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?!"
Ren's rings fused into gauntlets. The three rings hovering above him grew larger, darkness forming inside them.
"Hringaz," Ren muttered, murder in his intent.
He lunged, grabbed the Reaper by the neck, and threw him out of the shop and into the street. Ren followed, throwing punches so fast the Reaper barely kept up.
Ren landed a clean hit, cracking the Reaper's mask.
"P-Professor Marshall?" Ren stuttered.
"Hey kid," Marshall said with murderous rage. "Guess you had to find out sometime."
Marshall struck, sending Ren flying through three walls.
Ren stacked the Hringaz—one on each arm and one on his legs—boosting speed and power. He launched forward, twisting midair and kicking Marshall in the face.
Ren grabbed Marshall's leg, threw him into the sky, charged his gauntlets—
The explosion lit up the night.
Marshall's gauntlets fell, destroyed and smoking.
Marshall landed, burned, clothes torn, muscles exposed.
"I have never wanted to kill a PAACC user more," Marshall growled.
He charged.
Ren barely moved as a blow tore into his side, ripping flesh away.
Ren countered, blasting Marshall's hand off.
Marshall sliced off Ren's left hand and slashed his side.
Ren answered with everything.
The amplified punch tore a hole through Marshall's body—at the same time Marshall stabbed Ren in the chest.
"Shit," they both said.
"You're done, Marshall," Ren said, coughing and laughing.
"I'll see you in hell," Marshall replied as he collapsed.
Ren staggered.
"Koco… I couldn't save them… but the reaper…he's gone"
A tear fell down Ren face he smiled faintly.
Then went still.
End of Book one