The Author's POV

Minutes before the explosion, outside of the dome.

"Jin, you're here."

Kevin approached Jin.

Looking left and right, he asked.

"Have perhaps you seen Ren anywhere?"

Staring at the large translucent barrier covering the dome, Jin shook his head.

"No."

"Strange..." Kevin murmured. "I thought he'd be here already since he left earlier than me."

Having left before him, Kevin assumed that Ren had already left the dome.

'Perhaps he's already left the area?'

Though Plausible, Kevin shook his head.

Even if he chose to go back, he wouldn't have gotten far. Especially since Ren only left a minute before him.

Most likely, he was still roaming around here somewhere or was with a professor.

"Hey, you two! Help out over here!"

"..uh?"

Snapping Kevin out of his thoughts was a rough voice. Turning his head, Kevin spotted a professor in the distance.

With one hand touching the blue barrier, using his right hand, the professor motioned him and Jin to go to him.

Kevin immediately rushed to the professor. Jin silently followed from behind.

"How may I help you?"

"How is your mana reserve?"

The professor asked.

"Half."

"Good...you?"

The professor turned his attention to Jin.

Squinting his eyes for a second, Jin eventually responded.

"...About the same."

"Hm, that's perfect, I need you both to channel your mana inside of the barrier."

"Channel our mana inside of the barrier?"

"Mhm, we need as many helping hands as possible. This is the only way we can contain the large explosion from affecting the civilians that have come today."

The instructor's voice became serious.

"You understand how serious the situation is, right?"

If the explosion was not contained, many of the people that had come to attend the tournament would die. Especially since the majority couldn't defend themselves. Not everyone was a powerful hero.

"Understood."

Kevin's back straightened.

Convinced by the instructor's words, Kevin immediately placed his hand on the barrier and injected his mana into it. Jin did as well.

By the side, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, the instructor thought for a moment before asking.

"Want some?"

"No, thank you"

Taken aback for a second, Kevin refused.

Even though smoking was not something that would affect his health as it did in the past, Kevin hated the smell.

next to Kevin was trying to put on a brave

the cigarette was the only way he could deal with the

"You?"

turned

"..."

you also don't want some...sucks for

Flicking his fingers, the

Puff.

rose in the

a

"Hm?...what the"

was floating in the air, Kevin's brows suddenly knit. Turning his attention back to the instructor

they shut down

to him was

it, Kevin could see the images of some of the students desperately running away for

students in their arms, Kevin could also see some professors

"I'm also not su—"

"...Hm? Isn't that Ren?"

anger the instructor a bit,

the scene displayed on the screen in the distance,

of times to comprehend the situation, his body suddenly

"W-what."

Kevin's jaw moved up and down repeatedly. But no sound escaped

doing there? Wasn't he supposed to already be here? Didn't he already arrive?

thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

erupted within the dome. Taking his hand

the monitor's in the distance. Because his face never changed, no one knew what he

if someone

his fists clenched tightly. So

***

the same time, inside of the

doing

cried

opposite to her was Ren's figure staring into the camera. Falling on his knees, he mumbled something to the

the room could see his face.

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

Because they were quite far from the dome, the aftershockes of the explosion were so strong that the windows trembled unctrontrollably. It

no one cared. That was because their eyes were glued

everyone in the room watched as Ren's body was enveloped by the thick and raging flames coming from the

"...kh"

for a short second, Melissa grit

couldn't watch the scene any longer. Though her head was usually always clear, at this moment her mind was a mess. Many thoughts crossed her mind as

'Did Ren just die?'

comprehend the most complex problems in the world, for the first time

"...just w-hat?"

head sideways, she also stopped herself from

with her hand, she tried to supress her screams. Even then, as if her throat was dry, no

"..."

hand, unlike the other two, Amanda's eyes never left the screen. Out of the three, she was the only one that watched the whole thing from the

fixed on the television screen. Amanda's mind was completely numb at this

process, grasp, what was happening. What

couldn't be

laborious for Amanda, and before she knew

almost inaudible voice,

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

a relatively large apartment, a high-pitched scream

"Ren!"

the TV screen in front of her, like a crazed person, Samantha Dover, Ren's mother grabbed the TV screen and

my son! Give me my son back!

falling

"Mama?"

then, seeing the state her mother was in, Nola understood that something wasn't

she too started

"Maama...whaaa!"

them, bearing a striking resemblance to Ren, was Ronald Dover, his father. He wasn't a many of many words, but that didn't

No.

only reason he was still working at