Chapter 21
The dire nature of the situation pressed heavily upon Jayden. He could feel the weight of his circumstances pressing down like a crushing boulder. In an ideal world, if he had access to his Naruto System, things would be a breeze. He could simply tap into his potential jutsus and techniques, but alas, that was not the reality he faced. Instead, his only lifeline lay in the Fullmetal Alchemist System, and even worse, the pathetic, underwhelming Silver Alchemist ability was all he had.
It felt like a cruel joke. If only he had more—if only the system granted him access to something more potent, more useful. But he had nothing but this rudimentary ability, something he could barely rely on in a situation as brutal as this. His mind spun as he forced himself to take a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. There was no time for doubts or hesitation; he had to make a choice now.
He quickly called up the system interface. Categories of options appeared before him, each one a stark reminder of his limited options.
The Alchemist
The Homunculi
Items
His eyes immediately flicked to the Alchemist section. He couldn't afford to waste time exploring the rest. His gaze darted across the list of alchemists available to him, his heart sinking as he scrolled past names he recognized. The likes of the Chimera Alchemist—the famous, crazy scientist—was available. But their abilities, although potent, seemed to pale in comparison to what he needed. Their prices were low, but that was exactly the reason why he knew they were practically useless for his survival. A flash of understanding hit him: if he used those alchemists, he would be as good as dead. The attackers would destroy him before he could even finish the transmutation.
His remaining hope now lay in something better, something more powerful. He focused on the alchemists that might offer him a glimmer of a chance. The prices were astronomical—out of his reach unless he spent every last ounce of his remaining SP. His heart twisted painfully at the thought. His SP was already dangerously low, and if he spent it all, it would be unbearable. Yet, he knew he had no choice. His survival depended on gaining access to a superior ability, even if it meant sacrificing everything he had.
A brief moment of panic flared in his chest, and he closed his eyes, forcing himself to steady his breath. "Don't worry, you must live. It's just SP," he whispered to himself, repeating the mantra like a desperate prayer. He had to convince himself that the pain would be worth it.
With no more time to waste, he clenched his jaw and made the painful decision. "Purchase the Flame Alchemist power."
The ding sound that followed was the sound of his last hope vanishing. His SP balance plummeted to a cruel and unforgiving Zero, and a cold dread washed over him. But there was no time to mourn the loss—no time to question whether he had made the right choice. The flames were closing in on him.
The three assassins, their eyes narrowed with deadly intent, took a few steps forward, their eyes gleaming with malice. Jayden's body tensed. The weight of his decision pressed harder than ever before. His life was on the line, and there was no turning back now.
With a low growl, he ordered the system to activate the power he had just purchased. "Activate the Flame Alchemist power."
Instantly, a pristine white glove materialized on his right hand, with a glowing transmutation circle embedded on the palm. His heart raced, but his expression remained deadpan, the emotionlessness of his face belying the inferno of rage bubbling beneath the surface.
He fixed his cold, steely gaze on the assassins. The air around him seemed to tense. He could practically hear the flames roaring to life inside of him. "You three just cost me all of my SP," he said, his voice icy. "So now, you're going to pay with your life."
The assassins, smug and confident, believed this would be a walk in the park. After all, Jayden was at the Blue Plane, wasn't he? He was a mere child, with no real power to speak of.
One of them sneered. "This'll be over in a minute," he muttered, advancing.
But before the first strike could land, Jayden snapped his fingers, a gesture so simple, yet so full of deadly intent. The moment his fingers came together, the ground beneath him seemed to shift. Fire erupted twisting around him like a vortex, and within an instant, it engulfed the assassins.
The flames were brutal, an unholy mixture of scorching heat and raw, violent force. The assassins tried to repel the attack, summoning their defensive techniques, but the fire surged forward, overpowering them. Their clothes caught flame, and the smell of burning fabric filled the air. The first assassin staggered back, his body covered in burns. The second was just as injured, though he managed to steady himself.
One assassin, gasping for breath, looked at Jayden in disbelief. "Wait... isn't he supposed to be weak? He's at the Blue Plane, right?"
The realization hit them like a freight train. They had underestimated him. But there was no time to retreat.
"We might have miscalculated," the second assassin muttered, his voice tinged with fear. "We need to run—"
"Where do you think you're going?" Jayden's voice cut through the air, colder than the wind itself. His eyes locked onto them with a deadly calm.
The final assassin froze, realizing that they couldn't escape now. His hand trembled around his weapon as he turned toward his comrades. "He's not going to let us leave. We fight. We win—or we die."
The other two nodded, their resolve solidifying in the face of certain death. They readied themselves for another charge.
Jayden's expression was unchanged, but a smoldering fury burned in his chest. He adjusted the white glove, his gaze never leaving the three assassins. Then, he bring his fingers close.
Another Snap.
At another part of the dense woods, Rictor, pondering Mephina's words about the genius at the faction, suddenly felt like they were missing someone.
"Wait, where's Jayden?" Rictor asked the two figures walking beside him. He could sense something was off, his instincts prickling with a sense of urgency. "Don't tell me he—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the ground beneath them trembled, and another explosive sound rang out. It was as if the very earth had split open in a violent roar.
Boom!
Rictor's eyes widened as he turned to the direction of the sound. His voice dropped in disbelief. "Wait, what's that?"
He couldn't help but add, his tone tinged with his usual sarcasm, "This forest isn't supposed to have any power beasts, so where is all that fire coming from?" His words seemed to hang in the air, unanswered, as he stared in the direction of the disturbance. But before anyone could respond, his mind raced through every possibility.
Mephina, with her ever-calm demeanor, furrowed her brow, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. That explosion... she thought, watching the smoke trail into the sky. This forest is not supposed to harbor any elemental disturbances...
She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but something about this felt too out of place. I shouldn't overthink it. It could be a one-time occurre—
Boom!
Her thoughts were violently interrupted. Another explosion, followed by several more in rapid succession, cut through the air. Mephina's expression hardened, and she glanced over at Toph. Without another word, the two of them bolted in the direction of the explosions, their speed unmatched.
Rictor, caught off guard, barely had time to react. "Hey, wait up!" he shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the cacophony of noise as Mephina and Toph disappeared into the distance.
The world around him seemed to close in, the urgency of the situation forcing him to sprint after them. By the time he caught up, his lungs burned with exhaustion, and he almost tripped over a thick root. His feet finally carried him to the clearing, where he froze.
The once vibrant part of the forest was now nothing but smoldering ashes and blackened trees, the air heavy with the lingering scent of charred wood. In the center of the devastation were three burnt figures, each sprawled across the ground. Three lay motionless, their bodies charred and beyond recognition.
Mephina and Toph stood frozen, their mouths hanging open in stunned disbelief. The sheer magnitude of destruction was beyond anything they had expected.
"I think he's a Wind Elementalist," they said in unison, their voices full of shock and awe.
Rictor, finally catching up and catching his breath, took in the scene. His jaw dropped. The air around him felt suffocating with the weight of what he was seeing. "I— I knew Jayden had the fire element, but to cause this much destruction?" His voice trailed off, unable to comprehend the scale of the chaos.
Jayden, looking like he had just fought a literal war, staggered to his knees. It was only then that the others snapped out of their stunned silence. Rictor and Mephina rushed to his side, their eyes scanning him for any visible signs of injury.
"You alright?" Mephina asked, her tone genuine, but her eyes were clouded with concern.
Jayden nodded weakly, his face pale and drenched in sweat, but the exhaustion in his posture was unmistakable. He wasn't just physically drained—his entire body felt like it was shutting down. It wasn't the intense use of Flame Alchemy that had caused him to collapse, though that had certainly taken its toll. No, the real issue was far worse: his SP balance. A faint red glow flickered ominously beneath his system interface, and the number "Zero" flashed on his mind's eye.
Red Zero.
His energy reserves were completely depleted, and without enough SP to reload his energy, he will have to wait for it to reload normally which takes a while.
He felt like he could burn everything again, incinerate the world around him, but at that moment, he could barely summon the strength to remain conscious. Damn it, he cursed inwardly. Zero SP...
His mind struggled to comprehend the full impact of his decision to use the Flame Alchemist power. It had been his only option to survive, but the cost had been high, the energy required to keep it working is nothing to laugh at.
Before he could wallow in his thoughts, Mephina's voice broke through his haze. "I'm sorry, it's my fault," she said, her words tinged with guilt.
Jayden blinked, looking up at her through half-lidded eyes. "What do you mean it's your fault?" he asked, his voice flat, his usual deadpan expression never faltering.
Mephina's voice grew quiet as she explained. "The ones who attacked you… they're known as Shadow Assassins."
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Shadow Assassins?" He repeated, his curiosity piqued despite his current state.
"They've been after her for years," Toph added, his usual demeanor lost in the seriousness of the situation. "And their power seems to be growing. The ones who sent these assassins... their plane level seems higher now. "
Jayden blinked twice, then four times, processing the information. "So, you're saying I almost died because I'm affiliated with you?" His expression was as deadpan as ever, though his voice carried an edge of disbelief.
Mephina nodded solemnly, her eyes downcast. "Yes," she admitted, her voice soft, but the weight of her words was evident. "I'm sorry."
The air around them felt heavy with the unspoken guilt. Jayden, despite his usual aloof nature, felt the gravity of the situation. The assassins were targeting Mephina, and his involvement had made him a target as well.
"No, he's the one at fault," Toph suddenly interjected, his voice sharp.
Everyone's eyes turned to his, eyebrows raised in confusion.
"Toph continued, his tone matter-of-fact. "He was just trying to escape, and the assassins saw him as an easy target—that's why they attacked him."
Everyone, including Jayden, nodded in agreement. The situation, in hindsight, seemed almost laughable, yet Jayden couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in Toph's words. He hadn't managed to escape—far from it. Instead, he'd ended up in an even worse position, losing a substantial amount of SP in the process. The memory of it still stung, the bitter reminder of how reckless he'd been. His depleted SP was a constant ache in the back of his mind, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
Toph's blunt statement seemed to hit everyone. The tension in the air shifted, and the group fell into an awkward silence. With the threat of the assassins momentarily resolved, the reality of their situation set in. The journey ahead was still fraught with danger.
After a moment of silence, Mephina finally spoke, her voice a bit more upbeat than before, trying to break the tension. "Let's keep moving. We can't linger here any longer. We need to get to the Scarlet Faction as soon as possible."
With a reluctant nod, the group resumed their journey, Jayden keeping his head down and focusing on what little energy he had left. He couldn't help but keep his plans to escape close to his chest, for now. He wasn't ready to rely on anyone just yet.
The next two days of the journey were more grueling than he had anticipated. Rictor's constant jabbering, Mephina's relentless attempts to engage him in conversation, and Toph's never-ending requests for sparring sessions were all starting to grate on his nerves. The entire journey felt like an eternity, each minute stretching on and testing his patience.
By the time they finally arrived at the Scarlet Faction, Jayden was exhausted—not just physically, but mentally. But as the massive, imposing gates of the faction finally came into view, a sense of relief washed over him.
He could only hope that this was the start of something new, something he could control—because so far, nothing in his life had been in his hands.
To be continued.