A surge of power radiated all over Zeke's body. His wounds started to disappear, and he feels a whole lot stronger than before. He felt like he could topple an entire building with the strength he has.
The Phantasm felt strange in his hands. The now black and orange switchblade was bursting with fiery power different from what it was when it was still held by Benedict. Instead of cloaking flames, it was releasing a concentrated flame from its hilt and blade, much like a rocket thruster or a flamethrower.
Zeke couldn't believe he activated a Manifest the moment he blocked Shintel's attack.
Then again, he just thought he was lucky.
Whatever reason that the Armistice Seal on this Manifest unlocked for him gives him so many questions to ponder about. First of all, why? He didn't even have a passionate goal. He was even planning on activating the Manifest. He just wanted to buy all of them some more time to escape, even if there was a slim chance of doing so. Second, did Benedict gave up his possession of the Phantasm to lend him a hand?
He doesn't know the answers. And he doesn't have time to think about it, either.
This is the reality of the situation at hand.
Jihyo was down. Benedict was mortally wounded.
He was the only one left able to fight the Koul'in enemy. He doesn't want to involve the people at the settlement either. It was too dangerous.
Shintel on the other hand was shocked. She thought she had the whole thing in the bag, and she was about to claim her reward.
And then Zeke comes along.
Something about him suddenly turning from a regular human into a wielder amazed her. She has never seen a regular human become one, after all. But despite her utter amazement, she was still calm as ever. She readies her rapier and claw once again as if she isn't affected by the sudden addition to her work.
"Frankly, wielder, you may not see it, but I'm feeling quite good today. I've just defeated two wielders, and now I was able to witness how Manifests truly activate, because of you."
"..." Zeke doesn't respond.
"What powers do you have, I wonder...? I'm intrigued... It would be interesting to know." Shintel continued.
"Why don't you come at me and find out?" Zeke finally said.
"Oh. A good idea."
Shintel teleports right in front of Zeke as she unleashes a barrage of clawing and piercing attacks towards the Filipino wielder. Zeke notices that he sees her fast attacks slow down, and he was now capable of countering and dodging them.
"So this is how Jihyo, Mr. Benedict, and Mr. Seojun felt while wielding the Manifests..." Zeke thought. "It's... amazing..! But she's...she's...!"
Shintel almost overwhelms Zeke as he just kept his guard, unable to retaliate.
"...she's still too strong...!"
Shintel swings her icy rapier as Zeke parries with his weapons, immediately clashing both his Manifest and pipe wrench toward her thin blade, causing a blade lock.
"Ugh..!" Zeke gets dragged back a few inches due to the force of her charge. Shintel sees Zeke desperately struggle, showing that he doesn't have any idea on how to use his newly unlocked Manifest.
"Well, well, well..." Shintel began speaking. "Looks like you don't have any idea on how your Manifest truly works, hmm..."
She continued to push Zeke further.
"Damnit...!" Zeke keeps on struggling as he pushes Shintel back with all his might. "Get... back...!"
Zeke breaks free of the blade lock and yet again engages with Shintel. He soon finally manages to land a solid hit onto Shintel's waist with his pipe wrench, but her armor cushioned the blow.
"You think a measly mortal tool can harm my armor? You're wro--"
Suddenly, a glowing, circular, orange seal forms around where the pipe wrench was on Shintel's side. It then erupts a fiery, concentrated stream of fire that sends Shintel flying towards the wall of the bowling center, crashing as debris of concrete, ice, and metal poles get destroyed in the wake of the attack.
Zeke was finally beginning to understand his Manifest ability.
"I see now..." Zeke said to himself as he looks at his Manifest. "From my observation, the Phantasm generally grants the wielder the ability to wield and control fire. And of course, the application of the said element or ability varies for each wielder... so while Mr. Benedict's version of the Phantasm allows him to manipulate fire into cloak-like attacks, I'm granted the ability to control fire by generating "seals" that spew concentrated jets of fire... Like a rocket thruster mounted on a spaceship!"
Zeke was amazed by his newfound ability, but it was far too early to celebrate. He knew Shintel would come back in mere seconds.
His slight amazement immediately turned into dread as Shintel teleports back a few feet in front of him.
"Tsk...It's great and all... but how could this ability even work against a highly-skilled teleporting enemy...? My Manifest isn't fast enough to catch up to her..!"
He just looks at her as she stands there. Shintel looked back with cold eyes. He was surprised at how she was still calm despite getting overwhelmed by him, Benedict, and Jihyo multiple times in this fight. The lack of emotion she exuded was scary enough.
"I'm pretty sure you're wondering why I'm always calm and collected in a fight like this," Shintel speaks. "That's because I believe that in your line of work, you must display professionalism."
"..." Zeke kept silent, focusing on recovering his strength.
"This is how I do things." Shintel continued. "General Khera has always given me combat-related tasks, and they're naturally life-threatening, so I take the work given to me very seriously. But sometimes, I add a little spice to my work... Just make it fun."
"....and this is the fun you're talking about?" Zeke replied. "Harming innocent people? Taking their lives?"
"Yes," Shintel said with conviction on her answer. "In my view... This country... This world... is just one big workplace. And to me, you... your friends... and all of the humans in this world... you're all just tasks waiting to be finished."
Zeke grunts as he charges towards Shintel, two rocket seals forming on his weapons. She teleports next to him, attempting to slash Zeke with her claw. He immediately retaliates by blocking with his rocket-powered switchblade, but he gets slashed by her rapier.
"Ungh! Curses! Her teleporting ability is too annoying..! That damned rapier..." Zeke thought. "There has to be a way to destroy that stupid ass weapon! But... I can't even land a proper hit on her, and I'm sure that weapon is tough! Unless..."
Zeke continues to fight the teleporting Koul'in, but he slowly gets overwhelmed as his fiery aura started to fade from sight.
Jihyo looks worried. Benedict just watches him as he exhales.
Soon, Zeke's counterattacks start to feel weaker due to Shintel's consistent barrages.
"He lost strength, now is my chance! Artic Blade: Strikethrough!"
"ZEKE!" Jihyo shouted.
Zeke struggles as he sees his right shoulder gets impaled by her rapier.
"And even in the end... you still fall," Shintel said. "Too bad... you really can't control its power..."
Zeke struggles once more as he slowly lifts both of his weapons, hooking the pipe wrench and the Manifest scissor on her rapier. He now has Shintel's weapon on lock.
"Seriously? You still have a little fight in you? You do realize you can't pull out my rapier even if you tried... look, I'll just... push it even more..."
Shintel further impales Zeke's shoulder as the blade goes halfway through.
"GUH...!" Zeke writhes in agony as he kneels, but he still has his weapons hooked on her rapier.
"I pity you. You just became a wielder moments ago, and then here you are, about to die. It's a shame nobody will see your full potential... It's a shame... you aren't even worth the effort of fighting. You just... looked weak to me."
Zeke paused at her remark, then closes his eyes.
"Yeah... I... have to agree too..." Zeke exhaled. "I've always looked weak. That's why a lot of people back in high school and college treated me like some sort of incapable being. But...to be honest with you, there's a benefit to me looking weak..."
Zeke opens his eyes, his iris now coated with a fiery tint.
"...I just "look" like one. And looks... can often be decieving."
Two rocket seals immediately form on his pipe wrench and Manifest as it forms once more into a switchblade. The two seals are pointing away from each other as it slowly glows brighter, and soon unleashes a fiery stream of fire. Zeke immediately began struggling, his grip on both of his weapons tightening.
"He still has power...?!" Shintel said to herself. "No... that's not it. He purposely let his guard down so it looked like he was losing...! This bastard!"
Shintel smirks. "If you think you can pull out this rapier with your fire powers, you're wro--"
The rapier slightly bends, much to Shintel's surprise.
"W-what?! Is he... trying to break my rapier...?! No, he can't--" Shintel struggles to break loose, but Zeke's grip on her weapon was tighter.
"YOU HAVE UNDERESTIMATED US FOR THE LAST TIME!!" Zeke grunts as both of his weapons glow in fiery power. He struggles as he tries to bend the rapier even further. The cold, thin weapon began deforming as Zeke continues to pry the rapier apart.
"I can't break loose...!" Shintel said as she continues to pry free. "At this rate...!"
"Zeke... go...!" Jihyo struggles to say.
"URRRRRRRRRGH!"
Zeke shouts and pours all of his arm strength towards his weapons, and snaps Shintel's rapier successfully.
"No..!" Shintel said as she backs a few feet, holding out the remains of her rapier. She shudders.
Zeke pants and wobbles.
"All that talk... about finishing the work... where is it...?" Zeke said.
Shintel began losing composure. How could she be in a tight spot like this? She did everything with rationality and precision. Desperation was in all of them. And yet...
"You're just like... Vesper." Zeke said.
"What did you say?!" Shintel snapped.
"You're strong, yes. He's strong, also yes. But you both are too heavily reliant on your "powers". There's nothing special about you both--- you're just... bland killing machines... Now I'm beginning to understand why you Koul'ins covet the Manifests we have so much, and no wonder you can't activate them on your own. You don't have a true, passionate goal. You don't want to protect people, like Benedict. You don't want to save your friends, like Jihyo. You have nothing." Zeke scoffed.
"That's where you're wrong...!" Shintel said, panting desperate breaths. "My goal is to become a Koul'in general. The strongest one at it... And it's as passionate as it can get!"
"No, it's not." It's not a passionate goal. It's desperation for power. Your reaction to me breaking your powerful rapier speaks volumes about what you truly are...
...A regular Koul'in, who has nothing to prove."
"No no... NO! You're just a tougher work for me, wielder... and I can finish you even without my rapier. I'll finish you... I'll finish you all!" Shintel said as she lunges at Zeke, her claw glistening with icy power as she attempts to strike him down.
Zeke immediately jumps in the air to dodge her attack, as a rocket seal forms around his right wrist like a necklace. It erupts, creating a flame that was imbued with power.
"Sorry... but you're taking the graveyard shift," Zeke said as he plummets down towards Shintel and slams her full-force with his fiery fist onto the solid concrete, creating a crater as shockwaves of steam, fire, and ice erupted from the point of attack.
The icy mist clears soon after, and a barely standing Zeke towers over the lifeless body of the Koul'in subordinate, her head, as well as her upper body now buried a few feet onto the ground.
Zeke had the Manifest to power him up, but he was still immensely drained of his stamina. He wobbled as he tried to catch his breath, pain radiating all over as his fiery aura fades and the switchblade turns back into a scissor once more.
"I... knew it."
Zeke slowly turns around and sees Benedict leaning on a broken car, with Glendale on his side. On the other side was Jihyo, who was trying to cover up the deep wound on his chest. A pool of blood was around all three of them.
Benedict was already pale. He looks at Zeke as he coughs blood. Glendale was looking as well. tears still streaming on his face.
"I knew... you can handle that Manifest..."
"Mr. Benedict..." Zeke looked. "Your Manifest... why did you...?"
"We didn't have time..." Benedict replied. "The healing abilities of the Phantasm... are weaker compared to other Manifests, to say the least. If I took the Manifest myself and focused on healing, my son would die, I'm sure of it..."
"You didn't... have to give it up..." Zeke said.
"I had to," Benedict replied. "You were the last one standing. Someone has to protect... my son..."
"W..we gotta... we gotta treat your wounds, Mr. Benedict... There isn't enough time..." Jihyo said as she frantically looks for her radio.
"Jihyo... it's not--"
She then contacts the settlement for assistance.
"Settlement YM-37.... this is JH-5 requesting immediate medical assistance near Dongsan Bowling Center, over..." She said.
It took a while before someone replied.
"JH-5 this is MJ-18, my brother and I are on the way, please, stay there and don't move, over!" A girl's voice replied.
"S...see? Help is on the way..." Jihyo turns to Benedict. "Hang in there please..."
Benedict doesn't speak as he slowly pulls out a photo from his pocket and gives it to Jihyo.
It was a picture of Benedict and Callie on what seems to be one of their dates in the Sydney Opera House. She had a high ponytail with brown highlights on her hair.
"My wife... she's... somewhere in Gyeongsan... You'll recognize her instantly through this picture alone, I just know it... If ever she's alive... and you find her, promise me you'll reunite her and my son once again, okay...?" Benedict said as a tear falls from his eye.
"Benedict... I... you can't..." Jihyo started tearing up as well.
"...." Zeke grunts as he clenches his fist.
"There is nothing you can do about me. Just, please. Promise me. Zeke and Jihyo." Benedict looks at them.
"We will... we will, Mr. Benedict..." Jihyo replied.
"Daddy..." Glendale said as he continued to sob.
Benedict slowly turns to the sobbing Glendale and caresses his cheek silently.
"Would you like a hug, my son...?" Benedict asked. Glendale nods as he slowly slumps into his father's arms, still sobbing and coughing.
"I love you, son. You're always going to be my pride and joy... Remember that." Benedict whispered as he continued to hug his son tightly.
"I love you too, daddy..." Glendale replied, his face buried onto his father's shoulder.
And then slowly, his hug on Glendale loosens, and his arms fall. He passes peacefully.
Glendale was still hugging his dad, sobbing and unaware of his dad's passing.
Jihyo started sobbing and Zeke looks away, uttering a faint "goddamnit, goddamnit all..." under his breath.
The settlement truck soon arrives as Hyungwon, Minji, and a few of his men arrive with medical equipment.
"Jihyo-ssi!! We are here, are you alr--"
Hyungwon and Minji's eyes widen as they see blood, rubble, and debris all around the avenue. Minji then looks at Glendale, hugging Benedict's lifeless body as he continued to cry.
"Holy shit. What happened here...?" Hyungwon muttered to himself.
Minji's eyes soon led her to Jihyo, who was still sobbing, then to Zeke, who wasn't looking at the gut-wrenching sight in front of him.
There were no words. Only heartbreak.