Kai Lane: Beginning

"What's going on there?"

A young man speeding through the city spoke up at that moment, looking at the battlefield area behind him. The people beside him had clearly seen the massive lightning bolt falling from the sky. They could also feel the energy flowing through their bodies. One by one, they were breaking through their limits.

Although no one understood what was happening, it was clear that they were experiencing a Potential Awakening. Among them was a young man with flowing green hair, jade eyes, and an icy aura. The moment the others looked at him, their minds froze. The clearest thing they could see was the golden Crown Tattoo glowing on John's forehead.

"What's going on?"

Although no one understood, they knew they were growing stronger. Within seconds, they reached their destination, the Hall of Healing.

Many people remained in the hall. While some had stayed to protect the patients, a few Hunters had arrived and started fighting them. After both sides suffered losses, Zachery's team arrived and swept away the Hunters.

Although Zachery didn't fight often, he was stronger than John, and his tactics were even better than Clara's in large-scale battles. He received little public recognition because of his use of the Blue Crystal and his knowledge of Formations. Having a treasure like the Blue Crystal allowed one's Formation power to increase exponentially. Since Zachery was already interested in Formations, it was only natural that he would focus on them.

However, because John was a king who had awakened the divine potential, the gap between them had narrowed. In one-on-one combat, John was definitely stronger than Zachery.

Still, it was impossible to predict what this blue-haired bastard would do. It was best not to interfere.

By the time they arrived, the building where the patients were being taken had collapsed, and everyone had been evacuated. The person who evacuated everyone during the battle was the gravely injured Kronos. He had also awakened from the shock of the divine potential, and with Fenrir's support, he was able to recover and lead the others out of the building.

Although he was relieved to see Zachery and the others, he still felt threatened. He didn't know what was happening. But it wasn't hard to guess. The Hunters' arrival at the center of Atlantia City meant something.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Compared to before, yes."

Kronos replied bitterly, looking at the others. No one needed to do anything. The energy from the Skylands had poured into their bodies and awakened their Potential. Lena was the most severely injured. The only reason she hadn't died was because the Mortal King had prevented it. Now, with her divine potential, she had broken through the life-death boundary. Still, she was critically injured.

"It won't be long before the Hunters arrive," Zachery said. The six healers were assessing the people's conditions while the others scouted the area. A decision had to be made quickly.

John raised his head and asked Kronos, who was lying on the ground,

"Can you fight?"

"Fight? It's a miracle I even got up."

John shook his head and looked at the people around him. They were all in a pitiful state. Even though the poison had been purified, they were still suffering from its effects. If the hunters attacked now, they wouldn't have a chance to fight back.

"Can you set up a formation? At least one large enough to protect the others?"

Zachery shook his head.

"It's not as simple as it seems. Formations that can block Hunters of that level require time. We don't have time."

The others sighed. If it were that easy, wouldn't Zachery be invincible? He needed to activate the formations he'd set up in Atlantia, and he'd already risked enough by coming here. If they didn't hurry, it might be too late.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

At that moment, a voice rang out:

"I have a plan."

John's green hair fluttered in the wind. The aura he radiated was icy. Yet, there was also a heroic quality to it. Those who looked at him could see how confident he was.

"I'll freeze everyone. I'll freeze them along with myself, and that's how I'll keep them alive." You can get us out after the battle is over." They can't break my ice. It'll be safest that way."

Upon hearing John's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even those standing next to their wounded friends smiled and hugged them, explaining what had happened.

Perhaps only Zachery had paid attention to the details, though. While everyone else became ecstatic, Zachery didn't take his eyes off John.

"What if we don't win the war?"

That was the most important point. What would happen if they didn't win?

John smiled naively.

"Then I will never thaw the ice. I'll wait for you forever."

Maybe it was the love a friend feels for their friends or the trust they place in them. Since the day he came to Red Lightning Academy, John hadn't wanted to be friends with anyone. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He didn't want to become attached to anyone or suffer if something happened to them. But finally, he found himself in this situation again.

This time, however, he no longer denied it or ran away. He spoke these words with all his being.

If his friends didn't come, he would wait forever!

The others' happy expressions slowly faded as they understood the situation. They looked at the wounded man. They smiled and nodded at John. None of them denied it. Some were selfish, some were gamblers, some were thieves, some were altruists, and some were bloodthirsty to the point of inhumanity. But they didn't want to abandon their relationships in the Skylands. They wouldn't accept it if their friends didn't come back with them. It didn't matter what kind of person they were. In the Skylands, they had felt like different people. They experienced the thrill of fighting alongside their friends. If they had to make a sacrifice, they wouldn't deny it.

They would wait for their friends forever if necessary.

"Go.

"Win for us."

"Kill as many as you can for me!"

"Come on!"

Although they could speak due to their Potential Awakening, they couldn't fight. The uninjured approached Zachery and stood behind him. John stepped forward and stood in front of Kronos. This way, he had all the wounded behind him.

"Do your best."

John finally stripped off his clothes, revealing a deep blue layer of pure ice beneath them. The ice wrapped around him like a jacket. When he raised his hand, the pure life ice gathered in his hands. His upper body was completely bare, and his icy muscles were truly impressive.

The Pure Life Ice gradually formed a dome over all the wounded. The crown symbol on John's forehead gleamed in all its glory. Finally, John slowly clasped his hands together in the middle. At that moment, the aura of the Pure Life Ice completely changed, and an aura similar to the one emanating from the Crown Tattoo began to emanate from it.

"Pure Life Ice... the Realm of Glazed Ice!"

TOOOKKK!!!

The Pure Life Ice fell and completely encased the wounded and John in ice. The Pure Life Ice formed a sphere. Then, the massive ice orb slowly began enveloping the world in mist. The others could only watch as their friends gradually disappeared. Finally, only John remained. He stood with his hands clasped as if he were a Buddha, but his face made him look nothing like one. His heroic aura was still there, but it could no longer be felt. He left behind a smile as he vanished, too.

Everyone remained calm as the massive Ice Orb appeared before them. However, as time passed, a killing intent rose within them. They were filled with anger at what the Hunters had done.

They took one last look at the Glazed Ice Realm. Then, they headed toward the battlefield.

WAAAAAARRRRR!!!!

HOOOOOOO!!!

At that moment, two earth-shattering roars rang out. The developers looked at the battlefield and saw a winged creature soaring into the sky. Then, another creature, slightly different from the first, flew into the sky. Then, a person appeared in the sky. Before the eyes of all the developers, that person also transformed into a winged lion.

Each of these creatures was hundreds of meters tall. Under normal circumstances, the developers would have trembled at the sight of them. In this case, however, such a thing was simply not possible.

At that moment, another person transformed. This one was a giant, hundreds of meters tall! He swung his fist at the two winged creatures, who roared and charged at him.

Taking advantage of this gap, the Winged Lion charged directly at the Giant. The giant was attacking the other winged monsters. The Winged Lion targeted the Giant's neck!

In those brief seconds, however, another creature rose into the sky. It was one-tenth the size of the Winged Lion and collided with it. Surprisingly, it was a winged tiger! Even more surprisingly, both were knocked back 100 meters.

Many were surprised that the little tiger roaming Atlantia possessed such immense power. They quickly regained their focus on their own battle, however. Soon, the battle in the sky continued, accompanied by explosions.

"Things are getting out of hand. We must activate the formations and launch an attack as soon as possible."

When Zachery spoke, the others broke free from their trances and nodded. They quickly disappeared into the forest, and no one knew how much more intense the battle would become.