With each decisive strike came an equally decisive block then counter attack. Followed by a dodge then counter attack.

Van heard of shadow boxing but this took it to a new level. But for every strike Van landed, Shadow was able to land 2.

After exchanging a flurry of blows, it was clear that Van was only prolonging the inevitable.

He had to lay everything out all at once. There was only one other time he tried this technique. It was during the emergency quest when in his desperation he attempted to create a "super mode" by combining several skills at once.

The attempt ended in failure. The strain of draining all his SP at once resulted in total paralysis for 5 minutes. In battle, 5 minutes is a death sentence.

[STATUS

HP 241/520

SP 610/650

EP 110/145 ]

Wait a second. I almost forgot that EP is recovered as HP is drained. With my increased max EP I could gamble on that new ability.

Shadow chuckled as he increased the tempo of his combinations.

" I know what your thinking because I'm thinking it too." 

Shadow shot a glare so intense that Van retreated into a defensive stance while jumping back.

Shadow pressed forward in a slow intimidating walk.

It's now or never.

"It's now or never." Shadow mocked.

I'll give it everything I have.

"You'll give it everything you have, and still die!"

Shadow stopped and took a wide stance.

Both fighters summoned all their power in preparation for their final clash.

Activate Sprint, Grit, Resolve and Focus.

Van had activated all his toggle skills. No doubt Shadow was doing the same. A faint light was coming off of Van while Shadow glowed like a black light.

Now, Force and Charge!

Van leapt forward with his hands enveloped in supercharged light. 

Shadow stood waiting with fists that glowed with concentrated black light.

The even exchange of blows began again. But this time the attacks were faster than human eyes could follow. All that could be seen were momentary clashes of opposing light and trails of sparks.

Van strained under the simultaneous skill activation but if even one skill was off, he would die in an instant.

Sprint and Focus combined to speed up movement and slow down perception of time. 

Grit and Resolve created a powerful energy conversion cycle. When damaged, SP is reduced instead of HP, and the damage is also converted to EP. When SP runs out, HP is used in place of SP.

At first glance this seems redundant. But if damage can be avoided, a fighter would have a massive pool of SP to pull from. If damage is unavoidable, they then have a massive HP reserve to rely on. All the while fueling their special abilities.

Using Force and Charge together was like bringing a shotgun and a flamethrower to a fight. Even if an attack didn't hit a vital area each strike could was sure to deal significant damage.

Van poured everything he had into a final devastating attack. But Shadow was more than prepared to do the same.

After all, Shadow had been winning the whole fight thanks to his initial surprise attack. That gut check created the tiny gap of HP that Van was never able to close.

In the end it was a numbers game. And Shadow had always been in the lead. Van truly, never stood a chance.

The courageous fighter fell to his knees. His HP was draining right before his eyes.

[STATUS

HP 21/520

SP 6/650

EP 75/145 ]

Shadow delivered the final blow, an attack strong enough to kill Van 5 times over. A fully loaded Charge stacked with over 100 EP.

The resulting explosion from Shadow's merciless strike sent Van's lifeless body bouncing off the vortex wall and crashing into the ground face first.

Shadow turned to gloat about his dominating victory but was suddenly gripped by a realization. If Van had truly died, the vortex wall should have disappeared and Shadow should be returning to the abyss.

It started with the slightest twitch of a finger. 

Van opened his eyes and was greeted with a surprising message.

[NOTICE

Skill mastery achieved. Skill has evolved.]

[SKILLS

Survival (⁴/⁴) Master -  Use of techniques to sustain life in any environment. Even when faced with certain death, a true survivor perseveres. Retain 1 HP after a single attack, even if the damage exceeds remaining HP. Passive. Cooldown is 1 use per day.]

Shadow turned and was face to face with an impossible situation. The final attack he used had completely drained him. It took all he had to  remain standing.

Van however, was more than willing to return a Charge enhanced by 75 EP to his opponent.

The strike was swift and true.

Shadow was dispersed and floated into the sky. Before his form was completely lost he looked down at Van and issued his parting words.

"Yeah, yeah. My fuck up is your come up. Go ahead and laugh. You win this round. But next time I'll kill you for sure!"

Van couldn't help but snicker at the cartoon villain exit.

Psyn energy  breakdown complete. 

Conversion is 100%.

Van held down the option to return to reality as soon as it was visible.

----

Rubble and debris rolled onto the ground as Van rose from the concrete slab. His ears were still ringing from the impact.

Status.

[STATUS

HP 1/520

SP 0/650

EP 0/280

Level 29--[1,004/6,000]--Level 30

(STR)ength: 81

(END)urance: 55

(DEX)terity: 42

(PER)ception: 101

(INT)elligence: 42

(CHA)risma: 30

Points: 0]

Yup still alive.

Van shuddered at his single health point.

I guess it would be too greedy to expect some experience points from defeating an enemy created from already gained experience points.

[NOTICE]

[You have overcome a trial: Lux [x1] Rewarded. ]

[NOTICE]

[You have mastered a skill: Lux [x1] Rewarded. ]

Not a bad trade off!

Van hummed in satisfaction at his reward as he inspected his surroundings.

Behind him, the wall opposite the bars of his cell was demolished. Van checked outside and heard screams. The ringing in his ears was actually the sound of an alarm. 

*ring, ring*

*ring, ring*

*ring, ring*

After taking a single step outside, a tremor pulsed throughout his entire body. His Danger Sense skill was going into overdrive, as if it was trying to tell him:

Death awaits you outside.

Van pushed on, he couldn't ignore the cries for help and he needed to make sure Violet was safe.

Guards were racing back and forth, trying to bring order to the frantic settlers.

In the center of the chaos was a raging undead monster. It appeared humanoid like the other zombies but had an undeniable beastly nature. 

Van watched helplessly as bluish gray and greenish gray armor was sent flying out in all directions. The Day Guard and Night Guard could barely serve as a distraction for this monster.

One guard noticed Van and took him by the arm.

"It's not safe here! Please evacuate to the shelter through the north gate." The female guard urged.

Van looked back. He was in the residential area opposite from where his trailer was. The north gate was a short walk from the gaping hole he escaped from.

The guard pulled Van to safety with gentle authority. Van didn't resist, he could barely walk and couldn't risk taking any damage.

*Boom*

A deafening crash went off.

----

Just a few moments earlier on the other side of the settlement, Syren was at the south residential area overseeing the sealing of the hidden path Van revealed during the interrogation.

"Commissioner Ma'am! Urgent report!"

A guard ran up haggardly.  

"Mob of zombies sighted in west district. 5 Walkers, 4 Runners and a Brawler!" The exhausted guard forced out the words before collapsing to catch his breath.

"Night guard status!?" Syren ordered.

"All hands, containment. Blackguard, Isa, on site." The guard barely choked out the response.

Syren quickly mobilized a small team and raced towards the western district. The rest remained to continue sealing the hidden path.

Syren knew that there were no other Blackguards available in the settlement. But without help, the handful of guards she had would just end up being food for the enemy.

The sounds of a crash and frantic screams soon followed.

Near the north entrance to the stadium, a wall came falling down from the impact of a large chunk of someone's home.

If anyone was behind that wall they would have been buried alive. 

The guards rushed forward led by their fearless Commissioner. As they neared the western district  a crowd of fleeing settlers blocked their path.

The guards did their best to herd the frightened people to safety.

*Boom*

A deafening crash went off.

"Continue to the west district and provide support!" Syren darted towards the stadium. Her dutiful guards pressed on.

Syren became intangible and disappeared inside the stadium, only her coat remained propped up against the wall.

Van glanced back to see the monster galloping towards the north entrance. Its body was a hulking mass of muscles layered on top of themselves. The overgrown nails on the ends of its hands were more like claws. The only remnant of humanity it had left was its face which was twisted into a beastial expression.

Van instinctually pushed the guard out of the way. The Brawler targets Van but he is unable to react due to his injuries. Long claws came rushing towards his eyes.

He braced for the end.

But the final blow never came. 

"Commissioner!" The guard called out to her savior in relief.

A hand reached through him, catching the attack just inches away from impact. Syren leaps through Van and knocks the Brawler back several feet with a powerful kick.

Syren danced circles around the lumbering Brawler. It was like watching a game of whack-a-mole. She delivered powerful attacks while popping in and out of solid objects and the ground.  The Brawler couldn't land a single hit, but that didn't mean Syren was winning.

Every strike did considerable damage but was healed by time the next attack landed.

Van knew from experience that the undead never tire. But the living had a limit.

The guard looked on with intense admiration. " Commissioner Syren's Variant was once deemed useless in combat, a utility type.  But after training with the Commander himself, she joined the Blackguard and took command of the Day Guard. Her powers may not be destructive enough to wipe out a horde but when it's one on one, her beautiful techniques are unbeatable!."

Van watched the battle intently. The intangibility Variant seemed to follow very simple rules. Anything would harmlessly pass through Syren unless she was in contact with it and wanted it to remain solid relative to her. She was virtually untouchable but could not deal any actual damage without taking a risk.

Meaning, what she made intangible along with her, was able to damage her.

[New Unique Skill Unlocked: Psyn-Sense]

[New Skill Stat Bonus: INT + 5]

Van quickly checked his skill.

[SKILLS 

Psyn-Sense(¼) - Detect sources of psyn energy including Undead and Unturned in a small radius. Passive. ]

*ka-shink*

In the few seconds Van looked away from the battle, the Brawler was able to turn the tables. Blood gushed from Syren's shoulder. 

The Brawler had finally taken hold of her.

But Syren fought through the pain. From where Van and the guard watched it looked like she was grinning. In an instant her body moved like a snake ensnaring its prey.

If anyone other than Van knew what mma was, they could have immediately identified the technique being executed.

Syren completed a standing rear naked choke while the Brawler's claws remained locked in place.

They both fell back into a pile of debris.

While intangible, Syren had to hold her breath, as she was unable to absorb the air flowing through her. The same went for anyone who joined her within a sea of solid matter.

The Brawler struggled to no avail. Syren then released the hold and rushed back to the surface of the debris.

Van and the guard looked on, unaware of the battle silently taking place underground.

The guard shook with anticipation. Sweat dripped every pore as she counted every second that passed.

Syren surfaced and gulped in a breath of fresh air. Half of her body was still hidden in the debris. Van and the guard watched on in fear as the Brawler also began to surface.

But right when it's ugly head emerged, it rolled out of Syren's lap and into a pile of rubble.

During the intangible battle, Syren was able to maneuver her rear naked choke into a rear triangle choke. Next she surfaced and canceled her intangibility, severing the neck of her foe.

The victor sat at the top of the pile catching her breath and absorbing the well earned Psyn energy  from the Brawler. 

‐-----------

In just a few days following the outbreak the settlers had almost completely erased any visible signs of a battle.

Van never expected that he would miss the thin mattress on his bed so much, but he slept for a full day to recover from his ordeal.

Feeling rejuvenated, he decided to pay a visit to the Archiver, after learning that the outbreak started in the western district.

The area was busier than ever before. Settlers pushed wheel barrels full of giant ice shards toward the outer wall. Hammers and pickaxes tore open frozen doors. 

Van walked carefully to avoid disturbing their work. Eventually he reached the Archiver's door.

Meanwhile, Chief Elliot was delivering an investigation report to Commissioner Syren.

Post Event Witness report from Chief Elliot:  Scav group was wiped out. One survived but got bit. Snuck into settlement through a hidden path. Turned undead and found a way to evolve unnoticed within the confines of a refurbished apartment building in the downtown ruins. It was able to reach the level of a Brawler and was starting to show the intelligence of a Hunter.

Back at the Archiver's, Van enjoyed an exciting discussion about which superheroes the Blackguard member resembled the most. There were 3 categories, appearance, personality and powers.

When Van became the topic of the discussion his appearance came into question.

The Archiver ensured no offense was meant then offered to help Van in that department.

Van tried to refuse but failed as one would expect to fail when trying to refuse a gift from a grandparent.

In moments, the Archiver returned with battery powered clippers, and a set of clothes. Without a word he got to work.

The conversation continued until the clippers stopped buzzing. Van cleaned up the mess, got dressed and tried to offer a few tokens as payment. 

In the end, the Archiver accepted Van's previously worn clothes. As a collector of historical items, Van's clothes served as a relic of the past.

The two laughed after finally coming to an agreement.

*knock*

*knock*

*knock*

"Now who could that be?" The Archiver went to answer the door.

"Maybe it's the guards again." Van joked.

They both continued to share a laugh until the door was opened and a set of bluish gray armor walked in.

"Van? I have an urgent request for you, you are unable to refuse this request unless you are in poor health or otherwise immobilized. In which case accommodations to transport you will be made."

"Just get on with it! What's this about now?" The Archiver cut in.

*Ahem*

"Van, you have been summoned by Blackguard Commander Isaac. Your audience is requested immediately."