CHAPTER 35: INTERRUPTED BATTLE

The very next morning, Ren was already awake before the alarm even rang in their apartment as his eyes gleamed with excitement.

For the past two weeks since stepping into this ward, all he had done was observe and undergo training that is valuable, yes, but none of it involved actual combat or the use of his Drive Core ability.

Today was different. At last, he would be allowed to join the morning sparring sessions. And if that wasn’t enough, Valen had also summoned him later every night for Core Stabilization training, an essential step toward mastering his Drive Core release.

When Botan and Isamu came downstairs, they found Ren already waiting in the living room, sitting upright with restless energy practically radiating from him.

"I figured you’d be down here early." Isamu said with a smirk.

"Guess you’re that excited for some real training, huh?" Botan added.

Ren just smiled, saying nothing, and the three of them made their way toward the training grounds together.

The morning session went on as usual, but to everyone’s surprise, Ren was doing double, sometimes even triple the number of reps.

"This guy, we’ve got to keep up!" one of the members muttered.

Ren’s effort sparked a kind of challenge, and soon the others started trying to match him as if not letting the new guy take the spotlight to himself. But, as expected, not everyone could keep up with his pace. Botan and Isamu barely managed, while Minato kept up with Ren easily, smiling the whole time as if the extra work didn’t bother him at all.

After the calisthenics and roadwork sessions, most of the members were barely standing, breathing heavily as they forced themselves into the next drill. Hand to hand partner play.

Ren was paired with Minato under Shin’s instructions. Unlike Botan and Isamu, who hated being matched together, both Ren and Minato had secretly hoped for this exact pairing.

From the first half of the session, Minato’s superior martial arts shone through. He flowed effortlessly, slipping past Ren’s guard, exploiting openings, and forcing submissions with ease. Strike after strike, takedown after takedown, Minato dominated the first half of the partner play.

Yet what caught Minato off guard wasn’t Ren’s defeats, but his reaction to them. Ren showed no sign of frustration nor discouragement. Instead, there was a fire in his eyes, a determination that made Minato pause. He could tell that Ren wasn’t truly losing.

It was as though Ren’s body lagged behind his will, his movements a half step out of sync with what his mind demanded. Sudden slips, brief stumbles, and unintended openings betrayed him, but Minato could sense it clearly. Once Ren’s body caught up to his intent, he would be a far more dangerous opponent.

The second half of the partner play was a whole different story. Ren began slipping into sharper positions, and victories no longer came so easily for Minato.

I knew it! He already understands it in his mind. It’s just that his body hasn’t caught up yet.

Minato thought as he locked Ren into a choke and forced a submission.

Soon, partner play came to an end, and the session went to sparring. Unlike the controlled pace of partner drills where strikes stopped just short of landing, sparring was a different thing. Here, fists would connect, and every blow would carry weight. And most importantly, they are allowed to use their Drive Core Abilities.

Ren and Minato were called up to the sparring platform. The room seemed to tighten with anticipation as all eyes were fixed on the stage. After all, this wasn’t just another spar, it was a clash between the squad’s rising star and the guy who had once held his ground against a low ranked 7 star threat.

The two faced each other, their smiles calm and unshaken. There was no tension, no heavy pressure in the air between them, only the raw excitement of testing themselves against a worthy opponent.

Then Shin shouted. "Begin!"

Ren immediately raised his right arm, his index finger sparking as three bolts of lightning shot toward Minato.

Just as expected, Minato dodged with ease, tilting his head at the last moment. But before he could regain his stance, Ren was already above him, preparing to hit him with a thunder infused axe kick.

"Thunderfoot!"

Minato reacted quickly, flipping backward to avoid the crushing blow. The kick slammed into the platform with a thunderous crack, splitting the ground beneath Ren’s heel.

Minato kept retreating with each step measured, while Ren pressed forward with relentless pressure. But Ren wasn’t charging blindly, every move was calculated, driving Minato closer to the platform’s corner while keeping a sharp awareness of the traps scattered across the stage.

I can’t let him bait me. One wrong step, and his counters will pin me in those traps. Ren thought with his eyes locked on his opponent.

Ren finally drove Minato into a corner, pressing him with nonstop attacks that left no room for Minato to breathe.

Tch! I’m cornered. This guy, he’s overwhelming me with pressure, and I can’t even find a chance to counter. He’s too fast with his drive core ability! Minato thought as sweat ran down his temple.

Ren leapt high, his fist crackling with thunder as he aimed to crush Minato with a single blow.

But at the last second, Minato formed a branch with sprouting leaves. He directed it forward, and it shot out like a living rope, latching onto the center ground of the platform. Using it as leverage, he pulled himself away just before Ren’s punch smashed into the floor.

The impact shook the platform, stone cracking beneath Ren’s strike. But before he could recover.....

"Tch!" Ren’s legs were suddenly caught. Thorned branches had sprung up from the ground, coiling tight around his legs.

Ren grit his teeth, feeling the sharp sting dig into his skin. I can’t believe he managed to escape that corner and even set a trap at the same time.

His lips curved into a grin. But I’m not the only one who’s caught.

As Minato thought he had escaped, he couldn’t move as well. He saw lightning latches coming out of Ren’s foot like a lightning chain of shadows.

A taste of my own medicine huh? Minato smiled.

But Ren’s raw lightning burst out, burning through the branches gripping his legs. Sparks raged as he summoned a small platform of lightning behind him, using it like a springboard. In the next instant, he dashed forward at blinding speed.

His fist, wrapped in black lightning was aimed straight for Minato, a blow that would decide everything.

"Not yet!" Minato shouted, hands weaving upward.

From the ground, thick branches as wide as tree trunks erupted, lashing out to bind Ren. The air groaned under their weight as they twisted and shot toward him.

But Ren weaved through them like a streak of lightning, using one branch as a foothold to propel himself even faster. The distance closed in an instant, his fist just inches away.

Then Minato broke free from Ren’s bindings of lightning and charged straight at him, covering his fist with thorny branches. Both fighters lunged head on, fists ready as their auras collided.

But just before their attacks connected......

BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!

The sharp sound of an alarm echoed across the ward, shaking the air.

Both Ren and Minato froze as their fists stopped mere centimeters from each other’s faces

"Emergency!" Shin yelled as voice cut through the air like a blade. "The warden informed me, we’re under attack!"

The atmosphere shifted instantly. The loud cheers that had filled the training grounds vanished and was immediately replaced by the chain of orders being yelled out for defense preparations.

At the center of the platform, Ren and Minato stood frozen in the aftermath of their duel with disappointment clearly painted on their faces. But both of them knew the gravity of the situation far outweighed their match.

"I guess we’ll finish this another time, Ren." Minato said, exhaling slowly.

"Yeah." Ren replied.

They quickly went down the platform as the others rushed to receive the briefing. Still, Minato couldn’t shake the dissatisfaction in his chest.

If only he had his katana, if he had used that black lightning from the start, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against him.

Ren’s overwhelming pressure, his sharpened instincts, his battlefield awareness. It had clawed at Minato’s confidence. He knew, deep down, that Ren had beaten him at his own game of traps and martial skill.

Yet despite the sting, Minato found himself smiling. Because in that moment he realized, having someone as dependable as Ren wasn’t just good for ZEAL. It was good for the future of Aetherpolis itself.

They lined up in front of the platform as Shin stood at its center.

"We’re under attack, so I’ll make this quick." Shin yelled. "The Ashen Scars again, they’ve sent their defected foot soldiers straight to the ward’s doorstep. Around thirty of them. Orders are clear, we head out and dispose of them."

The crowd erupted in cheers, the excitement of battle crackling in the air. Without hesitation, the squad began moving toward the outer edges of the ward to reinforce the defense.

As they joined the group, Ren glanced at Minato, lowering his voice.

"What’s the Ashen Scars? And when he says dispose of them, what does he mean exactly?"

"He means it literally. We get rid of them. The Ashen Scars are the gang that runs Ward 10, also called the Scarlet Zone. Their leader, Zarveth, is tied to the Shikkoku, which means he’s part of the Core Bleed project. Those soldiers, they’re not human anymore. They used to be, but the mutation turned them into monsters with charred bodies, glowing ember veins and cracked bones. They fight without thought, just mindless rage, like a walking fire made to kill."

Ren’s fists tightened as Rage burned inside him at the thought of humans being twisted into weapons.

"He’ll pay for this," Ren muttered.

"He’s not easy prey." Minato warned. "Zarveth is a 7 star threat. He once clashed with Warden Rago and lived to escape. Sure, the Warden was barely scathed, but lasting against someone like that, even for a while, is an achievement in itself."

As they reached the edge of the ward, Ren was immediately filled with rage when he saw the "Ashes," the foot soldiers of the Ashen Scars.

Their bodies burned with fire as they fought against ZEAL members. They looked like wild beasts on a rampage. But to Ren, it was different.

"We’ll save you from your suffering," he muttered.

The battlefield was chaotic. Broken buildings and shattered streets showed why the construction teams were always needed after fights like these. The clash was brutal, with flames and destruction everywhere. ZEAL was being pushed back, outnumbered, until reinforcements arrived.

The balance began to shift.

"I have only one order." Valen said as he stepped out of a glowing portal, his presence drawing every eye. "Charge and bring peace back to this land!"

With that, the squad rushed forward into battle.

"Our fight was on hold," Ren said with a grin toward Minato. "But let’s fight together this time."

Minato smiled back, and they charged side by side.