Chapter 113: The Weight of Two Lives

The first assassin moved before Jet could count how many others had surrounded them.

A blade flashed beneath the streetlights, aimed not at Jet but at the little girl clinging to his neck. Jet twisted sideways, pulling Inez against his chest as the weapon swept past her shoulder.

His right hand caught the attacker’s wrist, and with a sharp movement, he drove his knee into the man’s stomach.

The assassin folded around the impact, but Jet had no opportunity to finish him. Another figure rushed from behind, forcing him to retreat while Nadia stumbled backward beside him.

"Stay behind me!" Jet shouted, his eyes darting between the masked figures closing around them. "Nadia, hold on to Inez. Whatever happens, don’t let go of her!"

Nadia immediately reached for the frightened girl. Her face was pale, and blood had dried along one side of her forehead, but she forced herself to remain steady.

"I’ve got her, Jet," Nadia assured him, wrapping both arms around Inez. "Just tell me where we’re going."

That was precisely the problem. Jet had no idea where they could go.

The street ahead was blocked by four Awakeners wearing identical black masks. Three more occupied the intersection behind them, while another stood atop a parked vehicle, watching without moving.

Their coordinated positioning told Jet everything he needed to know. These weren’t ordinary criminals hoping to rob someone during the confusion. They had come prepared, and their objective was unmistakable.

One of the masked men raised his hand, signaling the others to spread out.

"The boy is an Awakener," he warned his companions. "Don’t underestimate him. Separate him from the civilians first."

Jet’s expression darkened. So they knew about Inez and Nadia. Worse, they had already decided how to exploit them.

A familiar heat surged through his muscles as Asura Physique Stage II responded to the approaching danger. His heartbeat accelerated, his senses sharpened, and the exhaustion accumulated during his desperate escape became easier to endure. It didn’t disappear, however.

His body was already paying the price for everything that had happened tonight.

Two enormous crimson-black Mana arms emerged from behind his shoulders.

The nearest assassin hesitated.

Jet used that hesitation immediately.

His left Mana arm swept across the pavement, smashing into two attackers and throwing them against a parked car. The second intercepted a spear descending toward Nadia, catching its shaft before the weapon could reach her. Jet stepped forward, seized the spear with his physical hand, and wrenched it sideways.

The assassin refused to release his weapon.

Jet rewarded that stubbornness with a punch that sent him sprawling.

"Move!" Jet ordered, glancing over his shoulder as he opened a narrow passage through the encirclement. "Nadia, take the alley on our right!"

Nadia hurried forward with Inez pressed against her side. Unfortunately, they had barely covered several meters when another attacker appeared at the alley entrance. A thin chain shot from his sleeve, its hooked end flying toward Nadia’s ankle.

Jet reacted before the chain reached her.

One Asura arm caught the hook and pulled violently. The assassin lost his footing and crashed face-first onto the pavement. Jet kicked him aside while grabbing Nadia’s wrist with his free hand.

"You’re going to have to carry her," Nadia gasped, struggling to keep pace. "Jet, I can’t run fast enough!"

Jet glanced at Inez. His sister was trembling uncontrollably, her small fingers gripping Nadia’s clothing. She hadn’t stopped crying since their apartment exploded, although she was desperately trying to remain quiet.

"Come here, sweetheart," Jet told her, forcing a reassuring smile as he lifted her into his left arm. "Remember what I told you? Keep your eyes closed and hold on tight."

Inez buried her face against his shoulder. "I’m scared, Jet," she whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"I know," Jet replied, tightening his embrace while watching the alley behind them. "But your big brother isn’t letting anyone take you."

He extended his right hand toward Nadia. "Get on my back. Now!"

Nadia stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious? You’re already carrying Inez!"

"Do I look like I’m joking?" Jet demanded, bending slightly as footsteps approached behind them. "Climb on before I change my mind and start charging you for transportation!"

Under different circumstances, Nadia might have laughed. Instead, she climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders while Jet secured her with his free arm.

The additional weight settled across his body.

For an ordinary eighteen-year-old, carrying two people while running would have been impossible. For Jet, whose physique had been transformed by an SSS-Rank Divine Rune, their combined weight was manageable.

Fighting while carrying them was another matter entirely.

Jet launched himself forward.

His shoes struck the pavement hard enough to crack it, and the three of them surged down the alley. Wind whipped through Nadia’s hair as buildings rushed past. Jet maintained a controlled pace, resisting the temptation to accelerate recklessly. One sudden turn could throw Nadia from his back, while an unexpected collision might injure Inez.

Behind them, the assassins resumed their pursuit.

"He’s heading east!" one attacker shouted, his voice echoing between the buildings. "Cut him off at the next intersection!"

Jet cursed inwardly. They were communicating with one another, adjusting their positions whenever he changed direction.

He reached the intersection and immediately spotted two masked figures waiting beside an overturned delivery vehicle.

One thrust both palms forward.

A violent gust of wind swept through the street, lifting broken glass and loose debris into the air. Jet turned his shoulder toward the attack, shielding Inez while his Mana arms crossed before him. The wind struck with enough force to drive him backward several steps.

Nadia screamed as fragments rattled against the protective barrier formed by his arms.

Jet gritted his teeth. His Asura Arms weren’t shields, and maintaining them against continuous attacks consumed precious energy. Nevertheless, they were the only reason he could protect two ordinary humans without putting them down.

He waited until the wind weakened, then hurled a chunk of broken pavement toward the attacker.

The man dodged instinctively.

Jet seized the opening, leaping over the overturned vehicle and landing beyond the intersection.

"Are you hurt?" Jet asked, checking Inez before glancing toward Nadia.

Nadia shook her head, although her grip around his shoulders tightened. "I’m fine, but Jet, how many of these people are there?"

"Too many," Jet answered, his expression hardening as another group emerged behind them. "And apparently none of them have anything better to do tonight."

He continued running.

Several streets later, Jet realized something troubling. The attackers weren’t simply following him. Whenever he approached a wider road, another group appeared to force him into narrower passages. They were controlling his movements, gradually pushing him toward an area where escaping would become increasingly difficult.

If he continued following their intended route, he would eventually be trapped.

Jet slowed near an abandoned shopping complex, studying the surrounding buildings.

There were three possible routes. The main road offered visibility but exposed them to attacks from several directions. The underground parking entrance might provide temporary concealment, although getting trapped beneath the building would be disastrous.

The third option was a narrow service passage running between two buildings.

Jet chose the passage. He had barely entered when a metallic whistle sounded overhead.

Three throwing knives descended toward Nadia.

Jet’s Mana arms reacted immediately, sweeping upward to intercept the weapons. Two shattered against his crimson-black palms, but the third slipped past his defense.

Jet twisted his body. The blade grazed his upper arm instead of striking Nadia.

Pain flared through his shoulder, followed by the warmth of blood running beneath his torn sleeve.

"Jet!" Nadia cried, noticing the injury.

"It’s nothing," Jet assured her, although his clenched jaw betrayed the pain. "Keep your head down!"

A masked assassin dropped from the rooftop ahead.

Jet recognized the man’s stance immediately. Unlike the others, this attacker carried no weapon. Mana gathered around his fists, suggesting that he specialized in close combat.

Under ordinary circumstances, Jet would have welcomed the challenge.

Tonight, he couldn’t afford it.

The assassin charged, throwing a punch toward Jet’s face. Jet shifted sideways, but Nadia’s weight prevented him from completing the movement cleanly. He caught the attack with one Mana arm while the other struck the man’s ribs.

The assassin staggered but recovered quickly.

Jet could feel his Mana draining. He had already fought through several groups, and the constant use of Asura Arms was becoming increasingly expensive. His physique could endure considerable punishment, but it couldn’t replenish his Mana simply because he needed more.

The assassin attacked again.

Jet ducked beneath the incoming fist, stepped inside the man’s reach, and drove his forehead into the mask. Bone cracked beneath the impact. Before his opponent could recover, Jet struck his jaw with a brutal uppercut.

The man collapsed.

Jet didn’t wait to determine whether he would get back up.

He continued through the passage, breathing harder than before.

Nadia leaned closer to his ear. "Jet, put me down if you have to," she said, her voice shaking. "You can’t keep fighting like this while carrying both of us."

Jet shook his head. "And let you run straight into another assassin? Absolutely not," he replied, adjusting his grip beneath her legs. "Besides, you’re surprisingly light. Inez weighs more than you."

Despite everything, Nadia managed an incredulous laugh. "That’s a terrible lie, Jet."

"Then stop distracting the driver," Jet answered, forcing a grin as he turned another corner.

But his humor couldn’t conceal the truth.

His arms were aching, his breathing was becoming uneven, and every movement required greater concentration. He could defeat individual attackers, perhaps even several at once, but protecting Inez and Nadia changed everything. Every attack demanded a defensive response. Every mistake could cost someone else their life.

Jet understood that winning tonight didn’t mean killing every enemy.

It meant getting his sister and Nadia somewhere safe.

He emerged onto a deserted road and immediately stopped. A solitary masked Awakener stood beneath a flickering streetlight, blocking the only passage ahead.

The man slowly raised one hand.

Behind him, the empty road twisted unnaturally, folding inward like a sheet of paper being crushed by invisible fingers.

Jet’s pupils contracted.

Whatever Divine Rune this man possessed, it was unlike anything he had encountered tonight.

And the moment the distorted road began moving toward them, Jet realized that running might no longer be an option.