[14] "To return to Canada"

[In Canada, a few weeks later]

Ares was on top of a house, observing several awakened individuals fighting without using space isolation.

"Are these ants so weak that they can't even create a measly space isolation to cover their tracks?" Ares said with a disdainful voice.

"Hahaha, I might as well join in and teach them a lesson on how a real battle should be fought," he added with a smile.

Ares disappeared from the top of the house and appeared in front of the dozens of figures who were fighting, astonishing them.

People stared at the hooded and black-clad young man. Only his green eyes and a glimpse of his white hair were visible.

"Who are you?" said an angry person.

Ares smiled and replied, "Who am I?"

"We are from Black Hands, don't interfere in our affairs," said a dissatisfied awakened individual.

"Don't get involved unless you want to have problems with the Canadian Association," another impatient awakened person added.

"Canadian Association and Black Hands, hahaha," Ares laughed with a crazed smile.

"Do you not know who you're saying those words to? Are you fools or do you want to die?" he said arrogantly.

Buzzing and flashes illuminated the dark night sky as a large number of beams of light formed in the sky.

"Light?" said a surprised person, looking towards the sky.

"Ares, the Emperor of Light?" said a frightened awakened individual upon seeing the attack.

"Celestial Punishment," Ares said, displaying a diabolical smile and a powerful golden aura in the sky.

The massive amount of beams of light descended from the sky, crashing into the dozen awakened individuals in the area, instantly killing them and leaving only traces of blood on the ground.

"What weak ants I've encountered. I thought I could have some fun and teach them what a real battle is like, but they died with a single attack," Ares said disappointedly, with an evident sadness in his voice.

"What should I do? Is there a strong opponent nearby?" Ares wondered.

The space isolation disappeared, leaving a solitary figure among many abandoned houses, minimally destroyed in their infrastructure.

....

[Black Hands Organization]

In a spacious meeting room, a figure sitting in front of a round table caught the attention of several people in the room. This man, in his thirties, had blond hair and brown eyes, and he appeared to be deeply absorbed in his thoughts.

Suddenly, a loud boom shook the entire place, breaking the silence that had filled the room. The figures present in the meeting stood up, clearly startled by the noise.

"What was that?" one of them asked, bewildered.

"That power... What a powerful aura!" exclaimed another figure, surprised by what had just occurred.

"That attack... We can feel it even from this far away," added another.

Everyone approached the window and could see a column of light descending from the sky, illuminating everything around it. The place had been ravaged by the force of the impact.

"Boss Paul?" asked one of the figures present, looking towards the blond man who had remained silent until that moment.

"Light? Ares? Since when is he in our country?" said Paul with a big smile on his face.

The figures present were astonished to hear Paul speak like that, and some thought to themselves that he must be crazy. After all, how could anyone confront such a powerful attack as the one they had just witnessed?

Despite that, Paul seemed very confident in himself. Would he be able to defeat the enigmatic Ares and gain wealth and recognition in the process?

Meanwhile, the aura of power surrounding the mysterious Ares continued to astonish all those who crossed his path.

....

[Canadian Association]

A man in his fifties, with brown hair and blue eyes, sat at his desk, speaking with a young man. "Harper Roy, how was your time at the World Academy of Awakened?" said the man with an imposing voice.

"Father, I learned a lot. I didn't expect those top 10 kids to hide so much," Harper replied.

"Haha, it's normal for them to hide. When I attended that academy, everyone was surprised when I claimed one of the top 10 spots, making my name, John Roy, resonate throughout the world," he said, laughing.

"I will do my best to claim a spot," Harper said with great determination in his eyes.

"Good, that's how my successor should act," John replied.

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed through the room. John quickly stood up from his seat and looked out the window of the enormous building they were in. A magnificent column of light was disappearing in the distance.

"Calm down, son. It's far away from us," John said, trying to reassure his son.

"Yes, father," Harper said, relieved.

"Powers of Light, it must be Ares. This could be a great opportunity," John said with uncertainty in his voice.

....

[Battlefield]

Two figures stood in an area surrounded by forests and vegetation.

"Finally found you, kid. You have a lot of talent, but you need an organization," said Paul. "This is the kid whose head holds great value on the black market."

"Well, I don't like being in crowded places. I prefer to be alone and do what I want instead of being accompanied and unable to decide my actions," said Ares.

"Perhaps, but in this world, it's necessary to have other awakened individuals by your side to avoid being alone in times of crisis," replied Paul.

Suddenly, John Roy descended from the sky.

'So, it's 2 against 1. These scums are the top 75 Paul Tremblay, the president of Black Hands, and the top 74 John Roy, the current leader of the Canadian Association. These bastards don't follow the codes,' Ares said angrily.

"It's also important to keep a low profile to avoid large bounties on your head and not attract the attention of powerful organizations," said Paul.

"I've faced more than one awakened at a disadvantage, and you can imagine how they ended up. After all, I'm still alive, and they are dead, along with their organizations," Ares said arrogantly.

Suddenly, there were flashes, and Ares released an intense light. "Spatial isolation," he said. "You're going to be just names on the list of awakened dead by my hands."

"It seems someone hired them. I need to find out. We have to teach these fools a lesson," said Ares as he created hurricanes of light rays.

BOOM... millions of terrifying light rays descended from the sky onto the battlefield, forming a hurricane that simulated wind and rain with light, destroying all the surrounding trees.

"He manifested his power by using spatial isolation!" said Paul, surprised.

"We're trapped in a perfect battlefield for him," said John, nervous, as he dodged the rays.

"We're surrounded by rays," said Paul, scared.

"Now, you will know the true power of an awakened," said Ares, raising both arms to chest level, emanating a powerful golden aura and a wicked smile.

"Zeus's Ray Tornado," said Ares as a storm of lightning unleashed.

The millions of light rays surrounding the area converged into two points, forming two gigantic tornadoes, while rain and light winds surrounded the protagonists.

"Simple awakened fools," said Ares with a wicked smile.

"Shit, how is it possible for him to have this power?" asked Paul, surprised.

"What kind of monster have I gotten involved with?" John wondered. 'The information was wrong. This kid can easily take on an awakened in the top 60 of the global rankings with the power he just demonstrated.'

"Listen to me, we're going to attack with everything we've got at the same time," John said impatiently.

"Alright," replied Paul.

"(Tempest of Annihilation)," said John as he released a powerful dark green aura.

A large amount of razor-sharp rain with winds reaching hundreds of kilometers per hour began to form around the top 74.

"(Universal Deluge)," said Paul, releasing a powerful navy blue aura.

Everything around the top 75 began to fill with water as it concentrated and formed a wave tens of meters high.

"Die for me," said Ares with a strong killing intent.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh," Paul shouted as he directed his attack at Ares.

"Die," said John with deep, murderous eyes.

The four attacks collided, generating an immense explosion that destroyed all the trees and left a large crater in the forest.

"(Shield of Light) Shit... What a destructive shockwave," said Ares.

"You should have died. Let's see," said Ares as he flew towards his opponents. He found the body of the top 75 lying dead on the ground, with evident burns and horrifying cuts all over his body.

Ares descended from the sky. "So one is already dead, but the other..." said Ares, searching for John.

"Argh... uff... ufff... My body," said John as he agonized on the ground, looking up at the sky.

"What a strong attack, I couldn't even dodge it. Good attack, kid. No, Ares," said John, speaking with difficulty due to the severe injuries he had suffered.

John's body was covered in blood.

Ares saw the top 74, dying on the ground, with one arm and one leg missing.

"Apparently, when they expect their death, they recognize me. I'm not a kid, but one of the strongest awakened in the world, Ares Seo. The world must acknowledge me either through deeds or through force," Ares said proudly.

"I acknowledge you, Ares, the angel of death," John said weakly, slowly closing his eyes. The top 74 of the global rankings lost consciousness and died instantly.

Ares knew he had expended a lot of energy in those two attacks and realized he had forgotten to ask who had hired them. "Damn it. I have to destroy their organizations first," he murmured to himself.

'From what I know, John Roy used to be among the top ten in the World Academy of Awakened in his youth. It's surprising to think that despite suffering a severe injury in his youth, he has maintained the same power for the rest of his life without being able to fully recover. I wonder how far he would have reached if he hadn't suffered that injury.'

He left the area, leaving behind a large swath.

….

1839 words.

Next chapter "Devil v/s Angel"