SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

Rebecca moved before anyone could react. She'd been waiting behind a stack of supply crates near the mine entrance for the past ten minutes, watching for her signal. When Luthra drove his knee into Silas's stomach, she knew it was time.

Her fist glowed deep red with concentrated mana as she appeared behind Silas. The energy wasn't stable or controlled. It pulsed and flickered like a dying fire, but it was all she had.

Yesterday, she'd asked Luthra to train her again.

"I want to help. Not just throw rocks and run away. I want to actually help you fight."

"Your mana is unstable. It could kill you if you push too hard."

"I don't care. Teach me something useful."

"No."

"Please. I hate being useless. I hate watching you do everything while I just hide."

He had looked at her for a long moment. She was covered in dirt and dried blood, but her eyes were serious.

"It will hurt. A lot. And you might die."

"Everything hurts already. At least this way I'd die doing something that matters."

He'd smiled then, just a little, and patted her head.

"Alright. But we're doing this my way."

Back in the present, Rebecca's glowing fist shot toward the back of Silas's head. It was a perfect strike, all her power concentrated into one blow.

Silas didn't even turn around.

His hand came up and caught her wrist without looking. The red energy dissipated instantly, absorbed into his gray aura.

"A child? Really? This is your backup plan?"

He spun and kicked Rebecca in the stomach. She flew backward twenty feet and hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop near the circle of guards.

But that moment of distraction was all Luthra needed.

His free hand pulled the Sigil of Binding from his pocket. The metal disk was warm, almost burning, and the symbols on its surface hurt to look at. He slapped it against Silas's chest.

The effect was immediate.

Gray light exploded from Silas's eyes, mouth, and fingertips. His entire body went rigid as the Sigil activated, burning through his clothes and searing itself into his skin. The petrification energy spreading up Luthra's arm reversed, flesh returning to normal.

Silas screamed. It wasn't pain exactly, but something worse. The sound of power being ripped away.

"What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Leveled the playing field."

The Sigil finished its work and crumbled to ash. Silas stumbled backward, his hands going to his chest where a perfect circle of burned skin marked where the artifact had touched him.

He raised his hand and tried to summon his petrification magic. Nothing happened. He tried again, panic creeping into his eyes.

"My power. Where is my power?"

"Gone. For the next ten minutes, you're just a regular B-rank hunter. No magic, no petrification, no cheating."

Silas's face went through several emotions in rapid succession. Shock, fear, rage, and finally something that might have been excitement.

"You sealed my Path. That's impossible. Artifacts like that don't exist."

"This one did."

"Ten minutes, you said?"

"Give or take."

Silas straightened up and rolled his shoulders. Without the gray energy surrounding him, he looked smaller somehow. More human.

"Ten minutes. No magic. Just physical combat." He actually smiled. "Do you know how long it's been since I've had to fight with just my body? This might actually be fun."

"You're taking this better than I expected."

"Why wouldn't I? You've given me a gift. The chance to prove I'm not just my Path. That I earned my rank through more than just turning people to stone."

The guards around the courtyard were muttering to each other. Borris took a step forward.

"My lord, should we-"

"Stay back. This is still my fight." His voice carried absolute authority even without his power. "Anyone who interferes will answer to me."

He looked at Luthra and got into a fighting stance. It was different from before. Lower, more grounded, with his hands open instead of closed.

"You know what's funny? Everyone assumes B-rank hunters are weak without their Paths. They forget we had to train our bodies first. Had to build the foundation before we could even awaken our paths."

"Good to know."

"I trained for fifteen years before I mastered my petrification magic. Fifteen years of pure physical combat. Breaking bones, tearing muscles, pushing past every limit." His smile turned predatory. "You didn't level the playing field. You just made it more interesting."

They moved at the same time.

Silas was faster than before. Without the magic weighing him down, his body moved like water. He slipped past Luthra's guard and drove an elbow into his ribs.

Luthra grunted and swung the chain, but Silas was already gone, circling to his blind spot. A knee caught him in the kidney and sent him stumbling forward.

'He's not lying. He actually knows how to fight.'

Luthra spun and whipped the chain in a wide arc. Silas ducked under it and came up inside his guard, both hands grabbing Luthra's wrist. He twisted sharply and forced him to drop the chain.

"First rule of combat. Never rely on just one weapon."

His forehead slammed into Luthra's nose. Blood sprayed and Luthra staggered backward, vision blurring.

Silas pressed the advantage. His fists were precise, targeting pressure points and joints. A strike to the shoulder numbed Luthra's left arm. Another to his thigh made his leg buckle.

"You're strong, but you're sloppy. No real training, just raw power and instinct."

Luthra tried to counter but Silas redirected his punch, using his own momentum against him. He hit the ground hard and rolled to avoid a heel drop that cracked the stone where his head had been.

'This is bad. He's actually better without his magic.'

Rebecca was getting back up, holding her stomach where Silas had kicked her. She saw Luthra losing and started moving toward them.

"Stay back!" He shouted.

"But-"

"I said stay back!"

The distraction cost him. Silas's knee caught him in the jaw and sent him flying. He landed near the ruined gate, spitting blood.

"Nine minutes left," Silas said, not even breathing hard. "Think you can last that long?"

Luthra pushed himself up and activated Mind's Eye. Without the magic interfering, he could see Silas's movements more clearly. The way his weight shifted before each attack, the tiny tells that preceded each strike.

'I can't match his technique. But I don't need to.'

He activated Void Step and disappeared.

Silas's eyes widened slightly. "Right, you can still do that."

Luthra reappeared behind him, fist already swinging. Silas started to turn but the punch caught him in the kidney. He grunted and stumbled forward.

Another Void Step. This time from the side, driving an elbow into Silas's ribs. The B-rank hunter blocked partially but still took some of the impact.

"Teleportation spam? That's your strategy?"

"Whatever works."

Void Step again. But this time Silas was ready. As soon as Luthra materialized, Silas's hand was already moving. He grabbed Luthra's throat and slammed him into the ground.

"Predictable. You always aim for my blind spots. Always go for the quick strike." His grip tightened. "A real fighter would vary their approach."

Luthra grabbed Silas's wrist with both hands, trying to break the hold. His vision was starting to darken.

"Eight minutes," Silas said conversationally. "Want to know a secret? I don't actually need my magic to kill you. I could just squeeze until your neck snaps."

Black spots danced in Luthra's vision. His hands were getting weak.

Then he remembered something, the power he locked away.

'No. Not that. Never again.'

But what choice did he have?