Shiv's breaths were heavy.
The air inside the sealed room had grown thick with the echoes of those innocent girls' screams and the cold metallic smell of iron tanks. He had barely taken a step forward when—
*Swoosh!*
A heavy chain sliced through the air straight toward him. In the blink of an eye, Shiv threw himself down and slid behind a Red Capsule.
*(I can't afford to fight them... my only mission is to grab File X and get out!)*
**BOOM!**
The chain crashed into the capsule. Thousands of glass shards exploded outward like a violent rain. A jagged piece grazed past his cheek.
"Oi, Big Brother! Looks like we caught ourselves a little rat!" The chain-wielder cackled like a hyena.
"Yeah..." The baseball bat guy stood behind him, slowly spinning the bat in his hands, his eyes burning with jealousy. "My junior."
Suddenly, a jolt of electricity surged through Shiv's body. He snatched a large glass shard from the ground and lunged straight at the chain-wielder.
The man swung his chain to block it — and he did — but Shiv had already slipped inside his guard.
Their eyes met.
Shiv's gaze was filled with nothing but pure disgust.
"I loathe the very sight of your face"
His fist drove into the man's stomach with enough force that the *whoosh* of escaping air was unmistakable. The chain-wielder crumpled backward and hit the floor.
"Junior!" The baseball bat man roared.
Shiv fired off a slide kick — but the man spun through the air like a seasoned acrobat. He pivoted on landing and drove a heavy kick straight into both of Shiv's hands. Shiv's feet scraped across the floor as he was shoved back.
"You're genuinely at the advanced tier of Chakra Level 2, kid," the baseball bat man said, resting the bat over his shoulder. "Otherwise, that kick of mine would've shattered your bones by now."
Shiv clenched his fist. Blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped quietly onto the floor.
"I'm going to give you both a very painful death."
The chain-wielder staggered back to his feet, his eyes now fully bloodshot. "You're finished!"
He erupted into a frenzied barrage of attacks.
*(My punch barely slowed him down... if both of them rush me together, I won't win this. The bat guy hasn't even properly moved yet!)*
The chain snapped toward Shiv's throat. He threw a punch at the man's face — but in the same instant, a hidden knife concealed within the chain's links slashed across the side of his neck.
Shiv stumbled back. A shallow cut, but the pain ran deep.
*(So these aren't just thugs... these are actual assassins.)*
Shiv flung several glass shards into the air.
"Same old trick?" The chain-wielder smirked.
He swung his chain to deflect them — but one shard struck the weakest link dead-on.
*CRACK!*
The iron links shattered apart.
"What—?!"
Shiv snatched the broken chain out of the air and turned it on its owner in an instant. Before the man could even register what was happening, Shiv was already in front of him — his hand blazing with blue chakra.
**"DESTROYED PUNCH!"**
**BOOM!**
A blue chakra shockwave detonated on impact. The chain-wielder blew clean through the wall and vanished into the darkness beyond.
The baseball bat man stood frozen. "That much power in a single chakra punch?"
Then something shifted.
Shiv's body began to change. A ring of Blue Chakra formed around him, and his eyes filled with a slow, burning **Golden Glow**.
"Your turn now... come on."
The bat man raised his weapon to block — but Shiv's speed had become something like a shadow. Even so, in the next moment, a heavy bat connected squarely with Shiv's back. He crashed through a wall and was flung out of the room entirely.
"Well done. You covered your back with chakra at exactly the right moment," the bat man acknowledged — but there was fear hiding underneath his words now.
Shiv rose to his feet.
Golden Chains began to emerge from his palms.
***Signature Skill: Tether.***
"What? You have a chain skill too?"
Shiv gave a cold smile. "Yeah. You're done."
The clash between them was so fierce that sparks flickered through the air. Shiv used his golden chains to coil around the bat, intercept every strike, and counter at every opening. Then, in one decisive motion, he wrapped the man completely and slammed him into the floor with everything he had.
**BOOM!**
A cloud of dust erupted outward.
But when it cleared...
Only a splintered piece of wood lay on the ground.
"Where did they go?!" Shiv shouted, his breath ragged.
"Relax. Your mission is complete," came Arav's calm voice from behind him.
"But those two—"
"They escaped. Our mission was only to transfer File X. Not to fight," Arav said evenly.
---
**Morning — Outside the Academy**
The first rays of sunlight stretched across the factory walls.
Outside, Vikram stood waiting. The bloodstains on his clothes were plainly visible.
"You made it back? And that blood...?"
Vikram gave a tired smile. "Just got caught up in a fight."
Shiv glanced around. "Where's Saket?"
Vikram's eyes dropped. He looked away. "He went back to his organisation... to recover from his injuries."
Arav turned toward Shiv. "You could become part of JFL now, if you want."
Shiv looked up at the blue sky and slowly shook his head. "No... I'm not ready for that yet."
Arav smiled. "Fair enough. I'll get going then."
Shiv landed a light punch on the top of Arav's head. "Come find me at the Academy. I'll see you there." He paused. "Besides — you're my first real friend."
Arav stilled for just a moment. Then, with a quiet smile, he walked away.
"So what do we do now?" Shiv asked.
"Head back to the Academy," Vikram said. The main exams are approaching, so the Academy is reopening ten days ahead of schedule."
A new fire lit behind Shiv's eyes. "The exams... I'm going to show everyone exactly how much stronger I've become."
But in the very next moment, his body gave out. His eyes began to slide shut. Vikram caught him before he could fall.
"You really pushed yourself to the limit, Shiv."
He lifted him onto his shoulder and walked forward, steady and unhurried, into the morning light.