If there was one thing Mark had learned from his time in prison, it was not to rely solely on his powers.
His powers couldn't save him now.
He had to stand and fight.
Throughout his years in prison, Mark had memorized Greta's moves, so all he had to do was counter and wait for an opening to launch his.
And so the fight continued.
Greta quickly closed the gap between them. With all the might she could muster, she swung repeatedly, looking for a clean blow to knock him down.
But Mark read through her attacks with his telepathy and managed to dodge each one.
At some point, he tried to use his forearms to defend his face, but the impact of the metal baton on his forearm was intense, so he kept on bobbing and weaving.
Soon, he found an opening and launched his fist right at Greta's face.
It was a clean hit.
Greta stumbled back, tasting the blood in her mouth. She marveled at how much strength this teenage boy possessed, but she soon shook it off and charged back at him.
By this time, Hans joined the fray, pulling out a metal baton that elongated into a metal staff.
They fought on the road, jumping over abandoned cars, crashing into electric poles, and smashing old windows. Each fighter was fierce and determined.
At some point, Hans swung his staff at Mark, who managed to grab it with his left fist. Mark then pulled the big agent closer with one tug and sent a clean right hook to his face.
The force was sufficient to knock Agent Hans out temporarily, and he fell unconscious onto the cold pavement with his back.
Mark then focused his attention on Greta.
He was stronger than her, and for a moment, he noticed that she was getting exhausted
But she was the better fighter.
Moving down on all fours, she performed a sliding kick that swept Mark completely off his feet, sending him to the ground.
Mark quickly tried to recover, but Greta was already on her feet. She made a straight right downswing towards Mark's head, and this time, she did not miss.
The blunt force of the metal baton sent Mark into a spell. His head rang violently, and his vision grew blurry.
Before he knew what was happening, Greta was already on him, delivering a series of blows to his face.
"This brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?!" Greta said, her voice shaky and panting, as she delivered more blows to Mark.
Once again, Mark's face was bruised and bleeding. He was a weakling compared to the train fighters. He tried his best to resist Greta's blows by covering his face, but it was no use.
"You're nothing but a weak, pathetic loser!" Greta's voice rang in his head.
Mark closed his eyes, hoping to fall unconscious. He was tired of the pain.
But at that moment, Mark heard a tender voice.
'My strong little boy…'
It was his mother, Christina.
Dozens of visions flooded Mark's brain, reminding him of what he lost. What he could gain.
No, Mark resolved. He couldn't let Greta take him out. Not this time.
[NOTIFICATION: Adrenaline Spike detected)
[Strength +5]
[NOTIFICATION: Ability Upgrade]
[Lightning Discharge, Level 1, has been upgraded to Level 2, Lightning Summoning]
Mark suddenly let out a raging scream. His eyes blazed with a fierce blue, his whole body pulsing with energy.
Greta laughed in response. For a moment, she thought she had already knocked him out, but hearing his scream gave her a strange satisfaction.
However, it didn't last long.
As Mark activated his aura, storm clouds immediately converged in the sky, turning day into night. Strong winds began to blow in all directions.
Greta noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere and looked up toward the dark clouds.
At that moment, a tremendous surge of lightning slammed into her, coursing electricity through every vein in her body. She screamed out loud as the pain overwhelmed her.
When the lightning finally disappeared, she fell to the pavement beside Mark, partly burnt and stiff.
Mark slowly recovered and got on his feet.
Somehow, as the lightning coursed through him, his wounds became healed.
He turned toward Greta, who suddenly looked dry and pale, her combat uniform burnt to tatters. Stooping over, he stared her straight in the eye as he made his next statement.
"You're right. I was weak. But not anymore."
Unbeknownst to Mark, Agent Hans stood right behind him, armed with a gun aimed right at Mark's head.
But unexpectedly, a cold, freezing wind blew at Hans, sending him flying again into a nearby building.
[NOTIFICATION: New Ability Detected]
[Wind Rush, Level 2 (P-Type: Weatherborn]
[CURRENT MISSION: Defeat all enemies 2/2]
[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED]
[REWARD: All Stats +5]
[USER STATS]
Health - 100/100
Strength - 50/100
Speed - 40/100
Stamina - 40/100
Skill - 50/100
Agility - 30/100
Toughness - 40/100
[REWARD: New Power Slot Available]
[Total Power Slots: 3]
Mark turned around sharply when he heard Agent Hans crash into a window. He was unaware of what had happened, but his eyes fell upon a familiar face.
Natalya Stone.
Her eyes were glowing with a blue aura, like his, and her hands were covered in a cold mist.
Mark got to his feet as Natalya approached him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Once again, she completely ignored him, focusing her attention instead on the pale woman who lay on the floor.
"Who is she?" Natalya asked
"She's an agent."
Natalya ran up to the building where Hans had crashed into, to confirm if he still lay there. Then she walked back to Mark, visibly annoyed.
"This, is why we asked you to stay with us."
"I don't need your help."
"Yes, you do, Mark. You're a fugitive. No matter where you go, they'll always be after you."
"I can handle them."
"No, you can't! Don't you get it? We're at war. A war that will decide the fate of humanity. There are thousands of agents all over the world, hunting down powerborns. You cannot survive out here."
"I know I can. I only need to get stronger."
"But you don't have to do it alone," Natalya pleaded with Mark, surprisingly. "We can help you grow stronger. With your power, we can end the war, once and for all."
Mark was unconvinced. He still hated the idea of going back to Captain Savanna. But slowly, he began to realize that things weren't that simple.
The world had completely changed in the last decade. It was no longer the world he remembered, where powerborns could live in peace despite facing discrimination.
Now, being a powerborn was a crime against humanity, and humans were willing to go to any length to exterminate the powerborns.
Mark looked at the ruins all around. Something, or someone, had caused this, and he had to find out how.
At the same time, he had to find the evil powerborn who broke into his house and killed his mother all those years ago.
To achieve all this, he had to grow stronger. And he had the system to do it.
But could he do it all alone?
"More agents will be on their way soon, Mark. We need to leave."
Natalya was visibly agitated. The sound of military choppers whirring became audible in the distance. A single helicopter could carry up to ten agents, and there were only two of them.
She quickly tapped the button on her watch three times and waited.
After a minute, a bright red dot appeared in the middle of the street, which quickly expanded into a portal.
[NOTIFICATION: Ability Detected]
[Intra-dimensional Portal, Level 2 (P-Type: Spaceborn)]
[COPY STATUS: Unavailable. Physical contact required]
Natalya activated her aura, creating a large ice slab beneath Agent Greta.
[NOTIFICATION: New Ability Detected]
[Cryo-Manipulation, Level 4 (P-Type: Weatherborn)]
[COPY STATUS: Unavailable. Low User Tier]
Cryokinetically, Natalya lifted the ice slab with Greta on it
"We'll be taking her in for questioning." She remarked, running towards the red portal.
Before she jumped in, she turned back one last time.
"What will it be, Mark? Are you coming?"