CHAPTER 33: TWO BROTHERS

Inside the barrier cast by Kami,

Leon reformed the sword in his hand.

"We charge on my command."

Everyone nodded.

Ren, feeling a strange nostalgia from the sword — as if he had seen it somewhere before — spoke up,

"Leon, where did you get that sw—"

Before he could finish, the Entity roared, cutting him off.

Its body shifted again, shrinking down to around eight feet tall. Without pause, it unleashed a barrage of vicious punches at the massive test tube.

Seizing the moment, Leon charged forward, and the others followed close behind.

Kami gathered magic at her fingertips, releasing it in a burst aimed at the Entity. Hiroshi charged head-on, while Ren and Leon circled around, searching for an opening to deliver a clean strike.

Because of the poisonous air, Celestine and the others sprinted out of the laboratory, desperate to save themselves.

"Tch. I couldn’t even watch them die."

The rich guy, lost in admiration, stared at the golden ring on his finger. "Nothing we can do about it."

Inside the lab, just as Hiroshi raised his blade to strike Entity X, the glass of the massive test tube shattered. The entity was pulled inside, slipping from Hiroshi’s reach.

With the shattering of the massive test tube, the toxic gases inside spilled out, mixing with the already poisonous air.

But it wasn’t just poison that spread — a strange, crushing pressure flooded the room.

The thick, poisonous air grew even heavier. Leon and the others found themselves frozen in place.

Kami’s barrier crumbled, and a burning sensation crawled up their necks, as if their flesh was melting under the unbearable pressure.

Far from the reach of the poisonous air and pressure, Lucas said,

"At this rate, they’re all going to die. President, let me fight."

"You can’t, unfortunately. They need to defeat it themselves," Alexia replied, sliding her hair from her face. She feels something odd from the test tube,

"Check that massive test tube with the point tracker device."

"Yes, ma’am," Lucas said, pulling out his point tracker and scanning the test tube.

At first, the device picked up nothing — but then, suddenly, it caught something.

Lucas’s eyes narrowed.

"I was right. This entity isn’t something they can handle."

"Show it to me," Alexia said, leaning in to look at the readings.

[Name - Unknown]

[Race - Unknown]

[Mana - 320]

[Points - 250,000]

Alexia studied the numbers but said nothing in response to Lucas’s words.

Suddenly, the point tracker picked up another reading from inside the test tube.

Lucas’s eyes widened.

"Ma’am, we need to hurry — we have to save them before it’s too late!"

He thrust the point tracker into Alexia’s hands and charged at the test tube.

Alexia quickly checked the updated readings:

[Name - Unknown]

[Race - Unknown]

[Mana - 450]

[Points - 670,000]

Without hesitation, she dashed after him.

Lucas swung his sword through the air, sweeping away the poisonous fumes.

"STAY AWAY FROM THAT TEST TUBE!" he shouted at Leon and the others, forming an mana blast in his hand and hurling it at the test tube.

The test tube exploded on impact.

The blast sent the entire PA-4 into a violent shake, the tremor so powerful that the whole school felt it, as if an earthquake had struck.

In the cafeteria, students began to panic.

"What was that?"

"It’s an earthquake, can’t you tell, idiot?"

"Who can see an earthquake?"

"Just shut up, idiot."

In the school hospital, Arthur lay still on the bed, surrounded by staff. They, too, felt the tremor.

"Earthquake?" one of them muttered.

"No... it’s a mana blast."

"I recognize this mana... it’s Lucas’s."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

"I’m getting a bad feeling about this."

The blast left the PA-4 engulfed in fire and smoke, obscuring everything inside. No one could see what had happened.

"Why did you blast all of a sudden?!" Leon yelled at Lucas.

"If I hadn’t, you’d all be dead meat!" Lucas shot back.

"Your father’s dead meat!" Leon snapped.

"Ha? I saved your life, and that’s your thanks? It’s your mother who’s dead meat!"

The two immediately fell back into their usual bickering. But this time, they weren’t just being watched by Alexia — their squad and Ren were also watching.

Celestine and the others reentered the PA-4, eyes widening at the destruction around them.

They glanced at Lucas and Leon, still at each other’s throats. Their expressions turned deadpan.

"Seriously? Now?"

Sighing, a weirdly deep, nonchalant voice emerged from the smoke.

"How noisy, huh? Can’t you people just shut up?"

"Yeah, these people are so annoying," came another deep, yet serious voice.

"Who are they?" Alexia’s guard instantly went up.

Two figures emerged from the smoke. The serious one stood about eight feet tall, dressed in Mittelalter Hemd. His face was pale, featureless, except for a black minus mark etched on it. The non-serious one appeared identical in stature, but his face bore a plus mark instead.

The non-serious one grinned widely and laughed.

"As I said... I’m back! Uhuhahaha!" He scratched his head, clearly enjoying himself.

"What?! Who are you?! Wait—Charlotte?!" Hiroshi’s eyes widened in shock.

The non-serious one clicked his tongue, wagging a finger side to side.

"Tch, tch, tch. I’m not Charlotte anymore. I’m Plus 1! Uhuhahaha!"

He then turned to the other figure beside him.

"And this is me, but another version of me. He’s Minus 1!"

He threw an arm around Minus 1’s shoulder, presenting him proudly.

"We’re brothers!"

Ren, still reeling from everything that had happened, stared at them in confusion.

"What the hell is going on?" he muttered, unable to grasp why Charlotte was still alive or what these two even were. They didn’t look like entities at all.

"Why are you still alive? And what are you two?" Alexia asked, her sword poised for an attack.

Plus 1’s face twisted into a sinister smirk, despite having no features. The unsettling sight sent a chill through the air.

"I told you before... it’s the supremacy of science. THE TRUE POWER! UHUHAHAHA!!"

He paused, composing himself.

"Brother, go and do it," he ordered, his tone now sharp and commanding.

"What are you trying to do?!" Leon’s grip tightened around his sword. Everyone present was thrown off, confused by the appearance of Plus 1 and Minus 1.

"Wait and watch," Plus 1 laughed. "That’s all I can say. Uhuhahaha!"

Kami gritted her teeth.

"That laugh... it annoys me the most. Laughing like that... even though he has no face. How can he even talk?" she muttered, clearly unsettled.

"Let me be clear, What are you trying to achieve, Non-serious Monster?" Leon demanded.

"I remember telling you my name," Plus 1 grinned.

"Don’t give a fuck," Leon shot back instantly.

"I didn’t ask you to give a fuck," Plus 1 snarled. "Just call me by my name, asshole!"

He sighed, looking almost bored.

"Annoying brat... but I think I’ll bear with it. After all, you’re going to die anyway. Uhuhahaha!"

Minus 1 clicked a button on the control panel. The moment it was pressed, everyone except Leon began to feel their mana being drained away.

"What’s happening?" Alexia looked at her body in shock. "My mana... it’s fading."

"Mine too," Lucas muttered, feeling his strength weaken. Leon’s squad, Ren, and his group all felt the same—weakness creeping over them.

"Because I already know, this impressive, pretty girl... Alexia..." Plus 1 said, stepping up behind her and whispering in her ear. "Whose chest, though, isn’t impressive."

Alexia’s face darkened, and she gritted her teeth.

"I’ll kill you for saying that."

Plus 1 laughed, unfazed.

"She could defeat me in the blink of an eye if I let her use her mana. So, I had Minus 1 activate the artificial mana-sucking weapon that surrounds this laboratory. I know that you and Lucas’s raw strength isn’t nearly as impressive as the planet-shaking power you wield with your mana. I can defeat you now. Uhuhahaha!"

"You’re a fool," Lucas smirked. "Help is on the way. You’re trapped."

Plus 1 clicked his tongue again, wagging his finger side to side.

"Tch, tch, tch. You’ve got it all wrong."

"With the mana-sucking weapon, we also activated a teleportation barrier. Anyone who tries to enter will be teleported somewhere else in the school. In other words, you’re all trapped here... in my care."

"UHUHAHAHA!"

"But you forgot, that I don’t have Mana!," Leon smirked, charging straight at Plus 1.

He was fast, his sword raised, ready to strike.

But Plus 1 didn’t react. Instead, Minus 1 moved in, intercepting Leon’s charge with a swift, precise attack.

Leon barely had time to raise his sword to block the blow, the force of the strike knocking him back. He gritted his teeth, his muscles straining as he absorbed the hit.

Minus 1 wasn’t holding back. He pressed forward, launching a series of rapid, powerful strikes. Each blow pushed Leon further back, his sword barely keeping up. Leon deflected one strike, only for another to land against his side, sending a shockwave of pain through him.

The force was overwhelming. Leon stumbled, his footing slipping. For a brief moment, he thought he might lose ground.

But with a roar, he pushed back, swinging his sword in a wide arc, forcing Minus 1 to take a step back. The ground cracked beneath their feet, and Leon, though clearly outmatched, managed to hold his ground — for now...