"But I don't understand what they're talking about. Well, I guess I'm seeing all this quite late; maybe I've missed many things in these past few days. Plus, I guess he deleted his previous chat with her," Sillia mused. "This girl is older than brother. Does that mean Sky likes older girls?" Sillia's train of thought continued unabated.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Sky was flying at an insane speed to reach his destination, intent on conversing with Kuin, though a sliver of uncertainty lingered.
If that guy has escaped, then I guess I'll lose my potential helper. But I fed him enough fear of me to make him stay. He should be there, and if not, I can continue to investigate these types of unusual incidents, Sky thought. Soon, he reached the core of the forest where he and Kuin had battled. Sky surveyed the area, from their initial confrontation spot to where Isha had been. Sadly, he found no trace of Kuin.
"Hah… so I guess I didn't instill enough fear in him after all. He really ran," Sky sighed, a feeling of loss washing over him. After fighting such a bloody battle and taking the lead, I let him go. Sky was lost in thought, standing near the tree that had fallen after Kuin's powerful strike.
The impact of his punch was quite strong. Will I also be able to do the same? Sky wondered, a surge of curiosity prompting him to try replicating the feat on another tree, eager to make a mental comparison.
In a nearby cave, "Fuck, what happened?" Kuin thought, rushing towards the exit. A loud sound echoed from outside; he initially thought a rock had collapsed. Upon discovering the source, he hurried to the scene.
"What the fuck are you doing? Huh? Trying to show off your strength? I know you're more powerful than me," Kuin blurted out. His sudden voice from behind startled Sky slightly, but he remained calm.
He's still here. I thought he had fled, Sky thought, before calmly humming in response as he turned to face him. "What happened to your face?" Sky asked, his expression placid.
"You did that and you're asking?" Kuin snorted. Sky simply nodded.
"Have you recovered?" Sky calmly inquired, stepping closer to observe him.
"Yes, I have."
"Hmmm… So let's get straight to the point. Why didn't you escape while I was away?" Sky asked.
What's the point? You would have killed me anyway, Kuin thought, before replying, "I wanted to know why and how I lost. Why can't I defeat you?" Kuin answered strategically, carefully omitting his fear of losing his life at Sky's hands. Sky simply stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.
"I see… you lost because of my ability. But first, tell me what your ability is."
"Why should I tell you that…?" Kuin questioned, testing the limits of this calm individual. Kuin himself was riddled with anxiety about his life; his entire night had been consumed by worry. He couldn't decide whether to flee or stay, fearing that if he ran, this person would find and kill him anyway. So, taking the risk, he decided to stay and talk.
"Because I want to," Sky replied calmly, staring directly into Kuin's eyes, causing Kuin to gulp in fear.
"Okay, I'll answer your questions, but first, give me your word that you won't kill me after that," Kuin said, still desperate to secure his life.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not in the mood for that, nor do I have any interest in killing you," Sky replied.
"Of course you won't. After all, you're a hero who saves others, not kills," Kuin scoffed with a laugh.
"You are mistaken; I am not a hero. And yes, I can kill you, but I won't, because as I said yesterday, I need a helper. So if you prove to be of any use to me, I won't kill you. If not, then you can die," Sky stated. Kuin's face twitched with worry, but he remained helpless, recognizing his weakness before this man. He resolved to answer Sky's questions.
"I get stronger by devouring human flesh," Kuin revealed his ability, causing Sky's eyebrows to raise in surprise.
"Quite an ability. But what can you do with that power you gain from eating human flesh?" Sky asked directly.
"Well, I can gain superhuman strength, regeneration, and high jumping. In total, my physical abilities are upgraded to another level," Kuin explained.
"Oh, that. Now I understand. So, last time, or before, you weren't flying; you were just jumping," Sky clarified.
"Flying? I can't do that, at least for now. I don't know about later. But I can perform very long jumps," Kuin replied.
"But what about your ability…?" Kuin pressed.
"Oh, my ability isn't as toxic and dangerous as yours, but it's good enough: adaptability. I can adapt quite fast," Sky revealed his own powers, intending to build a small measure of trust, as Sky felt no real fear of Kuin.
"What?! So that's why you were taking damage from me before but later became immune to my punches?!" Kuin shouted loudly in surprise.
"Hmm… true."
"You have a monstrous ability without any danger. But I have to perform such a dangerous act to get stronger. I might have super strength, but I don't have any resistance to bullets or anything. Only I know how cautious I need to be to do such a thing," Kuin lamented, feeling how lucky the man before him was.
"I see. By the way, how did you get your ability? I'm pretty sure it didn't just randomly appear in your body," Sky asked, this being the most crucial piece of information he sought.
"I don't know…?" Kuin replied, his voice uncertain.
"I guess I'll have to make you spill it out," Sky said, cracking his knuckles before advancing towards him. Kuin instantly became worried.
"Wait, wait, I'm telling you! I got it from a shadowy figure."