The Virtues sat in silence as they each turned to him, their eyes collectively widening at the sight of the dark-haired intruder.

“Thanks for leading me to it,” Hector said. “Going through to this normally would’ve been way too much of a hassle!” Hector said, once again letting out a laugh. With his other hand, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Alexander quickly stood up. ‘Who-’

Each of the Virtues’ thoughts focused on this sudden intruder.

Time passed: 0.01 seconds.

And all of the Virtues sprung forth.

"I'm just here for the crystal. I'm not here to fight," Hector said with a smile. "Unless you are."

"He's Golden Dawn!” Liam shouted out, tossing a sword in the air.

Leonard swiped the blade from the air. “And he has no magic energy!” he told the others, his sword instantly igniting with crimson flames.

Alexander launched the knife from his hands. But with a simple step to the side, Hector dodged it, the blade splitting apart the air beside his swaying hair. But even in that confusion, Alexander noticed the glimmer of silver inside Hector’s sleeve as he moved.

‘That’s… a weapon.’

“Nice to meet you, chosen one!” he laughed. “How’s Excalibur?” Hector asked as Gabriel prepared a swing. Hector smiled as he turned to the side, launching his arm in the process. And with it, a short silver blade.

Alexander sucked in air through his teeth. "Gabriel!" he shouted, as the thin dagger flew through the wind. Alexander shot up his arm.

A wall of darkness thrust up from the ground. Alexander smiled. That was the same technique Nero used to protect him from the light. Now... With his friends protected, Alexander could focus on fighting.

But… That dagger broke through the wall of dense magic, striking Gabriel in the shoulder. Droplets of blood danced in the air as his body was pushed back, only for him to fall to the ground.

Alexander's eyes widened as Gabriel fell to his knees, his white shirt instantly seeping with crimson. His thoughts accelerated until he realized that it was the energy of anti-magic that broke past the spell conjured by his control of his new affinity. His thoughts accelerated until he realized he was now faced with two choices... Protect… Help Gabriel. Or fight. Battle Hector and retrieve the God Crystal.

Hector flashed a grin. ‘That’s exactly the plan! That’s exactly how to stop you, Alexander Lane! I’ll make you think and agonize! Concentrate and-’

Alexander spun to Hector. He clenched his jaw.

That grin of Hector’s turned nervous as he swallowed his saliva. “You serious?!”

Alexander Lane had already resolved himself, and dashed towards his magic-less enemy.

Anti-Magic. The forced stoppage of magic energy and power.

For the Virtues, combat through magic was an absolute necessity. But Alexander has only been using magic for less than nine months.

Compared to the others like Gabriel, who have been using magic their whole lives, Alexander was a novice. So in order to get just a little bit closer, he's been watching. He's been watching the movements of those he fought with and those he fought against. He trained himself physically and mentally.

Being a Demon-Born, his physical abilities and prowess were above the human average. And now... Every battle he has fought, every bit of pain he had endured... Alexander's efforts were beginning to pay off in this battle against anti-magic.

“God, you’re scary,” Hector said, muttering out his understanding.

Hector looked up at the caved-in ceiling. Just a few meters above was the continuation of the corridor. His escape route. Facing back the Virtues, he smirked again. “Like I said… I’m not here to fight, so…” He hopped up onto the corridor, the crystal still in his arms.

Anastasia stared at Hector as he practically flew into the next level. ‘So high… But he doesn’t have magic energy?!’

Of course. Instead of being blessed with magic, the energy of life itself, this boy was blessed in a different aspect. Or rather, he was cursed. Like all living beings, he was supposed to be born with magic. But somehow, someway… That magic was traded away.

The result was a human without magic. A human with physical capabilities that surpassed all known limits.

“We have to chase him!” Leonard shouted, jumping up after he reinforced and enhanced his body with magic. Even then, it wasn't enough; he had to pull himself from the stones of the crashed ceiling just to reach the corridor.

“Alexander!” Giovanna shouted out. She launched her sword across the air to find Alexander’s open grip.

Her blade slid into his hand. “Heal Gabriel!” Alexander shouted out as he dashed after Liam and Leonard.

But just as Alexander and Liam arrived to meet the darkness, Leonard’s face was already distorted in his confusion. “Wait, where’d he go?” he asked aloud, already surrounded by the shadows.

“Wow, you really can’t sense me?” Hector asked.

Before he could react, Hector thrust his hand against Leonard’s back. That simple touch forced a soft gasp from Leonard’s lips, just as the flames in his sword were extinguished in an instant.

Leonard immediately spun, his palm open and aimed directly for the mysterious boy’s face. ‘Burst!’

But… ‘No explosion,’ Leonard realized. He stared at his empty palm. No magic at all, for that matter.

“Exactly right,” Hector said with a grin. Another impact struck Leonard in the chest, knocking him back.

Still, the pain that ached in his torso was drowned out by the confusion. Even as his back was pushed against stone, he still stared at his hands, clenching his jaw and bringing forth any kind of magic or fire he could. But nothing. His eyes were already trembling, his face contorted with distress.

“What… What the hell did you do?” he cried out at Hector, even as he continued to dodge the attacks that flew at him.

That grin of his turned to laughter. “Relax, it’s only temporary!”

And once again, Hector focused on Leonard. The side of his fist crashed into his face, and Leonard fell to the side, back down into the room.

‘Oh…’ he thought to himself as his body was drowned in the weightlessness that came with falling. But that only lasted a second.

Giovanna grabbed onto him right before he hit the ground.

For a second, there was silence. Leonard stared at his unexpected savior and mumbled, “You saved my life.”

Giovanna let go of him immediately. “Shut up, the worst it would’ve done you was back pain or something.”

"Fair enough."

She quickly pressed on and forced herself up to fight Hector.

“He used the crystal to conduct Anti-Magic through his body!” Alexander shouted out to her. “I think- I think he can manipulate it!”

Hector smiled as he finally turned to him. "Ah. The Demon-Born," he muttered, ducking and evading the horizontal slash of Alexander's blade. Hector dropped the black stone and drew his own weapon, clashing it against Alexander’s. "You're Alexander Lane, right? You were at the top of the list!" he shouted.

"So what?" Alexander muttered, following with a thrust to his chest. Again, it was blocked, as Hector smiled.

“That means I’m allowed to kill you. ...Maybe encouraged is a better word.”

Alexander clenched his jaw. “So what?”

“My name is Hector Hild,” he said, slamming his foot atop the God Crystal.

Again: “So what?”

Alexander lowered himself and swung his blade at Hector’s legs. But the boy only bounced up, evading and attacking at once, his foot colliding with Alexander's chin.

He brought his head down. And with his free hand, he slammed his fist into Hector’s gut.

Or rather, into his hand. Hector had caught his fist a second before its impact. And now… He forced Alexander’s hand back, squeezing his fist at once.

Alexander stared at Hector’s hand and clenched his jaw. The pressure on his flesh and bones was distorting, blurring, fatiguing. It was the pain of power.

‘Wait…’ Giovanna noticed. ‘Is Alexander losing… in a battle of strength?!’

But! ‘My magic hasn’t been absorbed yet!’ Alexander slammed his knee into Hector’s gut and gripped his sword with both hands once again.

Hector dashed just a few feet away in his wariness. With nothing but hope, Alexander poured his magic energy into his sword. And the energy of darkness wrapped itself around the dull silver blade. Aiming it at Hector and swiping it upward, pure darkness was unleashed in an arc.

Like all humans, the boy instinctively put his arms up to block the attack. And as soon as the shadow struck his fingertips, it dissipated, faded it into the air. Hector smiled.

Considering his voice, his build, Alexander judged he couldn’t be more than 18 years old. What’s more… This boy was magicless. So then why… or rather, ‘How is he still fighting?!’

Now, the Virtues could only stare at the power of their new enemy. Hector Hild has no magic. Instead, his energy is anti-magic. All through the God Crystal.

Hector began another attack. His foot launched upwards and struck Alexander in the chin. And as soon as Hector maintained his balance, he thrust his other foot into the Demon-Born’s gut.

Alexander’s entire body was knocked back into Liam.

Now with the distance between the two of them, he prepared himself. He didn’t smile this time. He couldn’t. This next move was too important to take with amusement. His arms swayed with each of his movements. And from his left sleeve swung another silver blade aimed at Alexander.

“Goal,” Hector mumbled right as the knife sliced through the air, right before the knife sliced through Alexander’s thigh. As soon as the blade struck the same spot Arnhild had stabbed him a month before, Hector’s face twisted with a grin.

Alexander let out an anguished scream. Entire inches of cold metal had been dug into his leg. ‘I won’t let you!’ he seethed.

“Yep,” he said. "The same spot where Mother stabbed you," Hector smiled, as Alexander collapsed to his knee. "I guess some wounds never really heal," he said. A Connection burst into existence right behind him. A pure, black circle.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but… I sincerely hope I never see you again,” Hector said as he walked back into the ring of darkness. “This is the final act, anyway.”

He picked up the crystal from the ground. And a singular Connection burst into the air behind Hector. And with the same cheeky smile he had flashed half a dozen times in half a dozen minutes, he began to back into it, just as Alexander and Liam got back up.

‘Wait…’ Liam thought.

‘He can't pass through a Connection, can he?’ Alexander asked himself. ‘Not with the crystal.’

Giovanna’s eyes widened. ‘I have to jump through.’

While Liam and Alexander were considering the prospect of whether or not Hector could pass through the Connection, Giovanna had already judged it as it a certainty. She was focused on Hector.

If Hector passes through alone… They’ll have lost. They won’t be able to track him or the crystal. But if she catches up to Hector… Anastasia could lead the others to him.

“God, I’m stupid.” Giovanna grit her teeth and gripped the blade Liam had given her. ‘But Hector Hild… You’re far too dangerous.’

Giovanna burst into a sprint. Her thin frame allowed her to slide through the gap between the two Virtues. She didn’t waste a minute and charged at Hector as the portal began to close. His face contorted with confusion. “Wait, what are you-”

Hector had barely noticed Giovanna. He had barely registered her as a threat to him. A short, fourteen-year-old girl without a weapon. And he couldn't even sense the magic energy that burned inside of her.

She coiled her fingers around the sheathed blade that sat behind her belt.

Hector clenched his jaw. “You little…”

“Giovanna!” Alexander shouted.

And just as she forced herself through, the Connection shut.