Me And My Pet Mico

The battlefield was locked in a fragile stalemate.

Kendrick and Elizabeth held their ground against the cloaked man and his six henchmen, their defenses thinning with every clash.

Kendrick's blade flickered with Senar, each strike sending sharp arcs of energy through the air. The cloaked man, however, was like a ghost—twisting just out of reach every time, his movements impossibly fluid. His footwork wasted no motion, slipping effortlessly through the gaps in Kendrick's assault.

Kendrick clicked his tongue. Damn rat.

It was clear—the cloaked man was avoiding a direct confrontation. Assassins thrived in the shadows, not in head-on battles.

Further away, Elizabeth tore through her opponents with raw speed.

She weaved between the henchmen, striking before they could react, her enhanced strength sending them reeling. But they were seasoned fighters.

Though they couldn't match her power, they compensated with experience, predicting her patterns, forcing her into a more defensive stance.

She gritted her teeth. I should be winning this. As a Mid-level Class 4, she was stronger, faster—but her lack of battle-hardened instinct meant she couldn't dominate outright.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, fought relentlessly against Kendrick's beast, Zora. Their battle had turned into a brutal test of endurance.

Physically, Zora had the advantage—it was stronger, faster, and its attacks packed more weight.

But Nathaniel was relentless. He conjured energy barriers and Senar beams as effortlessly as breathing, dulling Zora's momentum at every turn.

And each time Zora landed a hit? Nathaniel barely reacted. His wounds glowed, flesh stitching itself back together in seconds.

Battle-trained healers were a hassle to fight.

Mico and the gorilla-type beast were still locked in an exchange, powerful blows flying at each other. At first glance, neither seemed to gain the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Arth, Elizabeth's eagle, and Mrath—who was not fully recovered—had begun suppressing the Dark-Edge Sparrow, forcing it into retreat.

But it was obvious.

The sparrow was still holding back.

The cloaked man's gaze swept over the battlefield. From an outsider's view, his side still had the advantage. But the cracks in their momentum were becoming painfully clear.

Mrath is recovering too fast.

The real anomaly, however, was Mico. The gorilla should have been keeping him in check—yet something was off.

Mico wasn't losing ground. If anything, he was getting faster. Stronger.

What the hell is that thing?

Unease settled in the cloaked man's chest. The battle could shift against them at any moment. He made his decision.

"We need to finish this now. Do it."

His men obeyed without hesitation, pulling out Senar vials. With this, they could temporarily boost their power, pushing themselves a level higher.

Zarn, from his vantage point, immediately noticed something.

These vials… they're of higher quality than those the muggers used earlier.

The cloaked man gave the final order.

"Hold them back. I'll take the boy. We're leaving."

The henchmen lifted the vials, ready to drink.

Then—stillness.

A heartbeat later, one of the men stopped moving entirely, his fingers barely touching the vial's surface.

The entire battlefield froze.

Zarn stood before him.

His presence was so sudden, so absolute, it defied reaction.

The vial was already in his hand. The man hadn't even realized it had been taken.

Damn. Too fast.

Only three people had noticed him move—Kendrick, Nathaniel, and the cloaked man himself.

The cloaked man's thoughts raced. I'll have to remove my limiter.

While everyone else was still processing what had happened, Mico's scolding voice echoed in Zarn's mind through their telepathic link.

"You shouldn't be using your strength. Today is not a good day."

Zarn smiled. I'll be fine.

But that momentary distraction cost them.

The gorilla-type beast took the opening. Its massive fist crashed into Mico's side with bone-shattering force, sending him hurtling through the warehouse wall.

He tumbled outside, debris scattering in his wake.

Zarn glanced at the wreckage. His expression unreadable.

Then, as if wholly disinterested, he turned his attention back to the Senar vials in his hand.

His next words were so casual, so unbothered, that they stunned those around him.

"Kill the beast, Mico.

Decimation."

Beyond the wreckage, Mico stirred.

He had taken the full brunt of the gorilla's attack—yet not a single scratch marked his body.

Rising into a low crouch, his mane ignited in a roaring blue blaze, his claws crackling with raw, destructive energy.

Then, he moved.

A streak of blue fire shot forward, closing the distance between him and the gorilla in an instant.

The cloaked man's body tensed.

It won't survive.

He knew what that skill meant.

Knew that the only reason Mrath had survived it before was because Mico had shown mercy.

This time, there was no restraint.

Kendrick and Nathaniel could only gauge Mico's strength based on what they had seen.

But the cloaked man?

He saw everything.

Even with a limiter on, his senses were sharper than theirs. And now?

I can finally see it. Mico isn't an Adept-tier.

He's an Elite.

The cloaked man didn't hesitate. He broke his limiter.

A rush of power flooded into his body. His aura spiked violently, surging higher and higher.

To get into the city unnoticed, he had lowered his strength to Class 4—any higher, and the city's surveillance would have detected him.

A Protector might notice me, but—

He moved.

And ran straight into the heel of Zarn's boot.

The impact was instant.

The kick struck his face with merciless precision, sending him careening backward.

His body crashed through the warehouse, obliterating an entire section in an explosion of steel and concrete.

It was too late for the beast, anyways.

Mico's blazing form collided with the gorilla-type beast.

The creature barely had time to react.

Mico's fangs sank deep into its neck, his claws tearing into its shoulders with lethal force.

The sheer momentum of his attack dragged both of them through the wreckage, out into the open air.

Then, the real destruction began.

Mico's flames surged inward, pouring into the gorilla's body, incinerating it from the inside out.

The beast barely managed a strangled cry before its form convulsed, breaking apart under the unbearable heat.

Awesome.

Zarn, ever the irresponsible parent, overlooked the fact that Mico had essentially just committed murder.

Instead, he was simply proud of his display.