From his vantage point atop the first floor of the factory , Paul faced the source of the piercing beam in disbelief.

The light was unmistakably powerful, a beacon that dashed their own efforts and signified a triumph that wasn’t theirs.

His grip on the metallic railing tightened, his knuckles white against the cold metal.

He had driven his team relentlessly, pushing them to the brink to secure their place amidst the chaos.

And yet, here was the undeniable proof that Jeremy had beaten them to it.

The light from afar was a harsh reminder of his own failure.

Jeremy. The name echoed in Paul’s mind with a bitter resonance.

He was trying to be composed but he was doing a bad job.

The realization hit him with the force of a tidal wave, washing over him and leaving a cold, hollow void in its wake.

The old fear of failure he had had at the council of the gods was now resurrected.

The fear of Jeremy winning.

A murmur of dismay rippled through the ranks of the Gifteds as they looked to their leader for direction.

Jason’s shoulders slumped, the sparks that had danced from his fingers now dimmed.

The gaze of the team leaders too hardened with the grim acceptance of their second-place standing.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a loud cry from the Guildmaster.

~WHOOOOOOSSSHHH!!!~

In a sudden burst of speed, he dashed forward, taking off in the air with blinding agility.

They all converged looking at each other in shock as they saw him flying in the direction of the light.

Nye came up with a suggestion as they saw him grow smaller in the distance.

"Let the Elite team go out there too while the rest of them wait here."

"Good idea but we can’t just leave them defenceless here. I believe the Pariah finished working on our own light source. Let’s start it up before we leave."

Nye almost bit his tongue as he reprimanded himself inwardly.

Unlike his usual stoic self who rationalized things on logic, he had spoken out of emotions.

After all, it had been hard seeing the Pariah himself flustered recently because of the Hoarder.

The fool had robbed them of their victory the second time.

He was beginning to understand what was at stake and how much more dangerous the Hoarder guy really was.

The least he and the rest of the team leaders could do was help their Pariah bring down the braggart.

He vaguely remembered a quote from his childhood that said "A man was guilty of all the good he didn’t do."

He had seen it only from one side back then but he was beginning to understand it differently.

The Heavens itself wouldn’t be happy if they didn’t wipe out the Hoarder.

Following the train of thought, he sprung into action as he ran towards the terminals.

He quickly switched on the light source that the Pariah just built and light flooded the whole place.

The Shadow demons that had been waiting on the fringes of their defence line all vanished.

He had to shield his eyes from the sudden glare.

It was saddening to see their light shining just as bright as the one far off.

They had been so close to clinching it only to be thwarted at the last minute.

There was relief on the tired faces of the Mages as they collapsed on the ground out of exhaustion.

Around him, the team leaders were putting their strongest people in charge of the whole group.

When all the arrangements were completed. Lillith came forward to give a speech.

It was unlike her as she mostly blended into the background, a powerful quiet lapdog of the Pariah. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"We’re going to support the Pariah in battling the Hoarder. Be strong and hold the defense till we get back. No one should come up with any smart ideas that would endanger the rest of you. If you have a problem, talk to the leaders we have appointed. They will reply you how they see fit and you are to obey them. May the light be with you."

The General team all agreed to what Lillith said and cheered up the team leaders as they left.

Tia found the manner in which Lillith addressed them strange.

One would think that it was a farewell speech which was far from what it was. Later she would remember it.

The team leaders moved swiftly, harnessing their powers to speed their journey through the twilight landscape.

They didn’t say a word to each other as they didn’t need to. They all knew this was serious business.

Driven by their loyalty and burning rage, they moved quickly without hesitation.

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Paul had razed down the whole structure and he peered down on the buildings with a grimace.

"That fool," He growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Jeremy thinks he can upstage me. Let’s see how he gets away with this."

As he approached the source of the brilliant beam, the landscape began to change.

Without missing a beat, he rushed in for the kill.

The place was empty unlike what he expected.

He didn’t see the Hoarder around which made him conclude that he was in one of the structures.

From a distance, he unleashed his combined powers—blasts of electricity, torrents of fire, and waves of searing heat—raining destruction upon the settlement.

Explosions erupted, the ground shook, and buildings crumbled under the onslaught.

He tore through the settlement, his rage fueling a relentless assault.

There was a smell of roasting flesh from all around him and he quickly located where it was coming from.

What he saw there made him weak.

He fell to his knees amidst the rubble.

It was now a stance he found himself taking a lot lately.

His rage was replaced by a crushing guilt. "What have I done?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken.

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading...

And so the struggle continues for Paul.