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.

the instructor next to Kevin was trying

was the only way he could deal with the

"You?"

turned

"..."

don't want some...sucks for

his fingers, the

Puff.

slowly rose in the

a nice

"Hm?...what the"

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

they shut down the broadcast

the opposite building to him was a

of some of the students desperately running away

could also see some

"I'm also not su—"

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

off the instructor mid-sentence. This anger the

in the distance, Kevin all of a sudden noticed

couple of times to comprehend the situation, his body

"W-what."

Kevin's jaw moved up and down repeatedly. But

supposed to already be here? Didn't he already arrive? This must be an illusion. What is going

of thoughts ran through his mind. It was only after that he realized what was happening

"REE——!"

—BOOOOOOOM!

dome. Taking his hand off the barrier, Kevin watched in despair as Ren's figure

the monitor's in the distance. Because his face never changed,

someone

see his fists clenched tightly. So tightly

***

same time, inside of the Lock

doing over

cried out in

screen opposite to her was Ren's figure staring into the

see his face. It

Then.

—BOOOOOOOM!

dome, the aftershockes of the explosion were so strong that the windows trembled unctrontrollably. It was as though they were in

one cared. That was because their eyes were glued on

in the room watched as Ren's body was enveloped by

"...kh"

grit her teeth and turned her head to

always clear, at this moment

'Did Ren just die?'

most complex problems in the world, for the first time in her life, Melissa found something

"...just w-hat?"

too showed a similar reaction. Turning her head sideways, she also stopped

supress her screams. Even then, as if

"..."

the screen. Out of the three,

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

was happening. What had she just

couldn't be dead

Amanda, and before she knew

an almost inaudible voice, Amanda

"...Liar. "

***

"Noooooo!"

relatively large apartment, a

"Ren!"

her, like a crazed person, Samantha Dover, Ren's mother grabbed the TV

my son! Give me my son back! Give him back

had already started falling by the side of

"Mama?"

even then, seeing the state her mother

she too started to

"Maama...whaaa!"

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

No.

fact he loved his family tremendously. The only reason he was still working at a