Just as Giovanna forced herself through, the Connection shut.

The impact of her body knocked Hector down to the grassy ground. But he instantly got up and threw the girl off of him. Just a moment later, and that knife she held would be in his intestines.

He sprawled onto the ground and lunged to wrap his hands around the black crystal.

But just like him, Giovanna was quick to get back up. Her eyes were focused on him, and her fingers were still coiled around the weapon's leather hilt.

Even as a battle raged around them, even as magic energy burst into the air, the two of them were only focused on each other. Standing just meters from the castle and its cracking walls, Hector swallowed his dry saliva.

'There's no way she followed me without a plan. Right? If she was one of the chosen Virtues, then it's not like she's an idiot.'

Giovanna's lips spread with a crooked grin.

'So she does have a plan?!'

A Connection burst beside the Virtue, crackling like blue lightning, rigid and jagged, nothing like the smooth darkness Hector emerged from. And the remaining Virtues sped through it.

He took in a sharp breath. "Squad J!" Hector screeched. "On me!"

Half a dozen or so soldiers of the Vanguard sprung at the Virtues. Their pale robes flapped in the flowing winds as they attacked. And Hector began to run away.

Alexander was already trailing behind. Blood and sweat dripped from different parts of his body as each of his muscles ached. His breaths were labored, letting shaky mist into the air. He outreached his hand before he cried out. "Someone stop him!"

But Hector only smiled. He hadn't even heard what Alexander had said. Still, he thought to himself... 'Right now...' he told himself as more and more anti-magic flowed inside of him.. 'I'm unstoppable.'

Two Hunters enclosed Hector, armed and ready to attack.

But with a sudden shift in pace, Hector slipped through them and continued dashing across the island.

"How is that kid so fast?!" Joseph shouted out. "Who even is he?"

"He has the crystal!" Anastasia told him.

Hector's voice remained cool and soft as he ran. After all, Squad J's purpose was to protect him as soon as he got the crystal. Their purpose was to buy him time.

Pillars of stone burst from the ground at the same instant that grey mist surrounded the Virtues. Their line of sight was hazy and disappearing by the instant. And their pathway, their surroundings were blocked.

"Gio-"

"Already on it!" Giovanna shouted out. She slammed her palms into the ground just as Alexander stamped his foot. Within the same instant, each of the pillars and spikes broke apart and fell to the ground they came from.

The Virtues burst past the mist and into the clear purple sky.

Squad J had already run away, chasing after Hector as he slid through the field of battle. Magic attacks and spells exploded the ground all around him, massive bricks of stone and shards of bursting wood falling all around him.

And yet, he wasn't held by a single ounce of worry.

"Now..." he muttered. "It's your time to do something, Atlas."

And once again, a hollow ring of darkness burst into the air right in front of him. With just another step, he flew into the darkness and disappeared.

It was only a matter of seconds before the rest of squad J pass through the Connection as well.

Only half of the Virtues had managed to get to the Connection in time, skidding to a stop just measly meters away. They were all focused on the Connection. It hadn't closed yet. 'Why not?'

Hector would absorb the anti-magic. Through that, it can pass to Connections and not cancel out spells in general. But! 'It severs the magic from the magic user. It severs the control!' Alexander realized.

And so... Atlas wasn't in complete control of the Connection. Alexander could still pass through.

Alexander processed this in no more than an instant. Just as Gabriel did.

"Alexander, stop!" Gabriel shouted, gripping his still-bleeding shoulder. As minuscule as the leakage was, blood continued to gush through that thin wound and down his arm. But he remained standing. "You-"

"I have to!" Alexander yelled back, forcing himself to stand. Again, he forced the blood away from his injury to keep himself safe. And if he were to force himself to run, he could make it in a single second. And that's exactly what he did. "I can't let them," he muttered.

With a burst of pace and force, Alexander sprung into the Connection as it slowly began to shut.

In the seconds prior, Hector and squad J let out a collective sigh of relief. They had gotten the crystal and escaped, just as planned.

And now, the group of eight were nothing short of elated.

Atlas had transported them off the island, and into the forest on the land beside it. At this rate, they were entire miles from the danger of battle. Now all they had to do was wait for Atlas to create another Connection, for Atlas to guide them home.

Hector took in a sharp breath. "Thank the gods that worked," he mumbled to himself. He gripped the crystal with both hands and raised it to his face. This whole time, he hadn't gotten a solid look at it. None of the Virtues had, either.

With his eyes just a few inches away from the clean black rock, he noticed his reflection. He paused for a moment, staring into the crystal, staring into his own eyes. His body continued to absorb the energy, the radiation it gave off with each of his inhales, with each of his heartbeats.

His eyes were lost in the meeting of pure blackness. Right now, Hector Hild gazed into the abyss. Right now, the abyss gazed back. It told him what he was made of.

"Hector," his compatriot called. "We have to move. Even if Atlas is going to pick us up, it's dangerous to stay in one spot for too long. Especially since we don't even know where we are."

"Huh? Oh. Right," Hector said, finally averting his eyes from the God Crystal.

Those few seconds of silence were all they had. That was all the calm they were able to afford, before Alexander's voice pierced the ears of them all.

"Hector!" Alexander cried out.

"What the hell?!" Hector shouted out at the sight of Alexander jumping through the Connection.

"I got this!" one of them interjected. He thrust his arms out, and the magic flowed through.

Just meters above the ground, Alexander's face went flat against the smooth glass.

"That'll hold him," the boy told him with a smile, even as Alexander pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into the glass, sending and spreading dull rattles through the air. "That glass won't break to a human's strength. Magic included."

"Really, Tauren? That's your affinity?" Hector guffawed. "Glass?"

"...Shut up, Hector."

"I don't mean to be mean," he noted. "I just didn't know until now," he said, snickering at Alexander's impact. Hector regained that grin of his as he looked up, at the sight of Alexander's pained face.

And in response, Alexander only grit his teeth, before pounding his fist into the glass again. And again. And again.

"Not yet!" he mumbled between his punches and through his clenched jaw. "I'm not done yet!" Alexander sharply inhaled, throwing another punch, dense with magic energy.

And with that strike, his fist broke through the glass.

And as shards of glass danced in the air... As Alexander's fist opened up...

Hector's eyes only widened. 'I know he's a Demon-Born and all but... It's like he's not even human at all! This one... This one is far more dangerous than the rest!'

Their collective thoughts were cut short as Alexander's open hand reached and grabbed at Hector's uniform. Still being supported by half the pane of glass, Alexander pulled Hector back to him.

Hector's mission was the retrieval of the God Crystal. He should've let go of the crystal as soon as Alexander reached for him. With his other hand, Hector could've unsheathed his sword and attacked. Those simple actions would have killed Alexander in a matter of a single second.

But the boy was frozen in fear. He no longer saw a human before him, but a warping shadow. And two glowing eyes, burning with a brilliant pale light.

"Kill him!" he shouted. "Kill him now!"

Another of the squad reached into his coat pocket, only to pull out a gun. His rapid movements didn't allow for him to aim. All he did was shoot into the glass that remained in the air.

Even as he unloaded bullet after bullet into the transparent pane, it barely cracked.

With Hector still in his grip, Alexander clenched his jaw and launched him to the side.

Hector tumbled to the ground and forced himself up. He pulled back his arm and balled his fist as Alexander did the same.

Their fists slammed into one another.

Hector cried out in anguish, gripping his wrist as blood dripped down his knuckles. He clenched his jaw, squeezing until blood spread through his mouth. And with a swift kick, he struck into Alexander's ribs.

The man furrowed his brows, staring through the sights of the firearm. His arms were trembling as the two of them danced within each of the strikes. He couldn't concentrate. The only sounds that entered his ears were the sound of skin impacting skin, pained grunts and groans as each of them fought to survive.

'Shoot!' he told himself, barely managing to keep his arms upright. But with the way they were moving... He would hit Hector if he reacted too slowly, if he pulled the trigger too late. Now... Hector and Alexander... The two cursed children were in a fistfight.

Hector's punch to the chin forced Alexander to the ground. And Hector didn't spare an instant. He dashed at the keeling Alexander, pulling his leg back and unleashing a destructive kick into Alexander's jaw.

'I read his file.'

Hector swallowed his dry saliva as he kicked Alexander again. 'He's only one-quarter demon. He's only fifteen years old. He's cursed. Just like me. So why... Why is he so strong?'

Alexander's jaw was clenched. He gripped Hector's foot right before another impact, squeezing the bones in his foot, squeezing with every ounce of strength he could muster.

"What the-"

Alexander flipped him to the side, leaving him to spin and crash into the dirt.

Hector turned his head to his allies. "Go!" Hector ordered them. "Go now!" He was still on the ground as his eyes found his silver sword. Forcing himself up with a grunt, he scrambled for it. But as he shot up, he realized what was directly in front of him.

The God Crystal.

With a single step, he could reach it. He could absorb its energy. He could weaken Alexander with a single touch.

But he was too focused on what was before him, and not behind him.

The Demon-Born.

"Hector!" Alexander fumed out, drawing his fist back and readying himself to launch it into Hector.

'Wait-'

Hector spun around and raised his arms to block. He crossed them in the instant before Alexander's fist slammed into him, the instant before he forced out as much magic energy within that minuscule interval.

And within that interval...

Magic energy flashes white.

White light burst into the forest. The pure and pale energy flashed like lightning, exploding from the impact of Alexander's fist and Hector's body. It shattered past Hector's defense and launched him back against a tree.

Even through the dirt and wind and dust that exploded against him on impact, he remained on his feet. Even as his back hit the trunk of a tree.

He paused.

Hector's eyes widened as he gripped his wrist and took in labored, anguished breaths. He could feel the exact amount of damage he had taken. The bones in his right arm had burst into what felt like a dozen pieces. And the arm he held under that, his left, was already fractured. At least two of his ribs were broken, and more were cracked.

Hector is cursed. And because of that curse, his physical abilities and capabilities are raised beyond human limits.

Hector was just in possession of the God Crystal. Anti-Magic energy still coursed through his veins. And because of that... His body was naturally resistant to magic energy and all its applications.

It doesn't matter if it was White Light. It doesn't matter if Alexander's a Demon-Born. There's no reason why Hector should've suffered that much from a single attack. There's no reason why his right arm shattered on impact.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to fall to his knees and scream out in pain. Bits and shards of the broken bone had flown into his muscles, piercing the muscle fibers and blood vessels. And now he was met with anguish he hadn't felt his entire life.

"What... What the hell did you just do?!" Hector cried out in shock.

If that hit had landed in his chest... If that hit had landed in his head... or anywhere else...

Hector would've died.

Alexander continued stepping forward to Hector.

Hector turned his head to his allies. He couldn't take another of those hits, another strike of the White Light. But that fear was disrupted as one of the soldiers wrapped in pale robes disappeared from their line of sight. He had disappeared from plain existence with a dull pop.

'What?!'

'Was that Atlas?!'

The two fighters processed this in unison.

One by one, second by second, every warrior of Squad J vanished into the air. With each of them, more and more magic energy filled and condensed in the air.

Hope was finally instilled in Hector. This was no longer his fight. Even as his arm had been turned into a sack of shattered bone and seeping blood, he knew how everything would turn out. That was the power of Atlas, the Titan of spatial magic.

"God, I can feel the crystal from here," Atlas' voice called out. "Anti-magic is just... disgusting," he shuddered as he stepped behind the cover of the tree's darkness and into the sunlight.

He extended his palm at Alexander. "Hector, move. Your mother doesn't want you getting hurt, remember?"

Alexander stared at Atlas, his eyes widening on sight. The Titan that saved Eve's life. The Titan who interfered with each conflict, each mission, each plan.

The meddlesome Titan.

Alexander tensed up. Atlas was going to attack him. But there was nothing in his hand. Not even magic. Was he preparing something? Or was it all a bluff?

The Titan’s pale face spread to reveal an even paler smile.

Chills ran down Alexander’s spine. Contorted light and distorted space were amassed and condensed, all behind him. He didn't have to turn to see it. He didn't have to sense it through magic, even. He knew what it was through its pressure alone.

Atlas was going to destroy his space.

'Move!' he urged himself.

Alexander took a staggered step to the side before lunging away. And a torrent of magic energy rushed through to him.

Trees, shrubs, flowers, and plants of any kind all disappeared within that torrent. Not just that, but everything. Entire acreages of the forest had been destroyed, down to the wind in the sky and the stones in the ground.

"Ah." That was the sound that left Atlas' lips. "I wanted to replicate what Charles Archibald did last time, but.... Easier said than done, it seems."

Alexander clenched his fists, even as he was still on the ground, even as his head remained held by the sheer pressure Atlas exuded. The pressure that he squeezed his brain, the pressure that tightened his throat, the pressure he knew far too well.

Hector had no capacity to sense magic energy. Still, he couldn't deny that feeling that found itself in each of his bones. For the years he had known the demonic titan, he had never seen Atlas in action. And he never wanted to see that display of prowess again.

A Connection opened up at his side. "Hurry up," Atlas mouthed with a smile.

Hector got up in an instant. He didn't want to spend a single more second with those demons.

Alexander was still on the ground by the time Hector passed through. But he forced his head up, even as he struggled to breathe, even as fearful sweat dripped down his neck. He forced his dry saliva down.

Alexander urged himself to stand, his aching arms swaying as he pressed his feet against the ground.

The God Crystal was still on the ground. Even as Atlas evacuated each of the Vanguard's squad, he hadn't transported the crystal away. Is it because... 'He can't?'

Alexander charged at the crystal. Just a few more meters, he told his weary and bloodied legs. Just a few more meters and-

A dull pop rang out. And the crystal disappeared from his view.

"Nope. I'm fully capable. I have a reputation for that, after all," Atlas proclaimed.

Alexander's legs gave out. He fell to the ground, to his knees at that sight. The shattered forest and the empty ground. It was all gone.

Atlas swung a finger to the side and a Connection lit up. He instantly stepped through with a hearty sigh.

"It seems you were too slow, Alexander Lane. Too weak," the meddlesome Titan said, the portal whirling around him as it began to shut. With the shield of shadow, it disappeared, leaving nothing other than a ripple of darkness and the remnants of his energy.

Alexander remained on his knees as he stared at that specific spot, the final dredges of magic energy still floating in the air. He finally dropped his arms, leaving them to impact onto the forest ground.

'They have the crystal,' he thought to himself. 'We lost.' That was the only thing he could tell himself.

And that was all. The only sound to leave his lips was a frustrated shriek into the forest.

'We lost.'

"Dammit..." Alexander mumbled, finally letting out a breath.