Why did this repulsion exist in the first place?

'I used System's powers.' Varian forcibly kept his eyes open.

This repulsion should also happen due to System's powers. Neither the exhausted Enigma nor he had any energy to create this repulsion.

This energy must be coming from elsewhere!

Varian gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit. As he did, a couple of space currents passed by him, and one of them made a sharp cut on his face.

Varian grimaced instinctively but kept his focus on the inside.

After the fiasco where he nearly destroyed ghostship, Varian tried to use the System's powers again at least a few thousand times. It felt like he was trying to catch the air. He caught nothing.

If he couldn't use the dormant powers of the slivers inside him, then maybe he could use the active energy of the slivers that are causing the repulsion.

Hope worked better than any steroid and Varian managed to stand up despite being on the verge of fainting.

"Come on!" Varian closed his eyes and urged the repulsion energy. But he got nothing.

Frustrated, Varian focused inside his body and tried to summon the energy again. "Slivers!"

It didn't work. He couldn't even feel anything.

Varian's eyes turned to the unconscious Enigma and an idea flashed in his mind. The young man stretched his injured hands and pulled up Enigma. She fell on his back and Varian held her so that she won't be thrown away due to the repulsion.

The repulsion started to crack every inch of his skin and initiated the process of destroying him completely.

Since their body contact was too much, the repulsion was also much higher than at any other time.

Varian, who was completely focusing inside his body, suddenly found a strand of new energy. The energy appeared both familiar and unfamiliar. It is a strand of white and black energy.

Thinner than a hair, smaller than a fingernail. If not for being super alert, he'd have missed it.

With a skeptical expression, Varian distanced himself from Enigma and only held her shoulders.

As the body contact disappeared, so did the repulsion. Under Varian's shocked gaze, the tiny strand of energy shrank to a point he could no longer sense it.

"Fuck!" Varian felt both ecstatic and frustrated.

Regardless of his success or failure, by the time he finished his trials with this energy, he'd be a bloody man.

"Haa~" Varian took a deep breath and walked to the weakest barrier with Enigma.

"I need as much repulsion as I can." He glanced at the injured, unconscious Enigma and apologized. "Sorry."

Then, he took her into his arms and wrapped his arms around her. Her head rested on his chest while their body remained in full contact. Their skins at the point of contact started to bleed due to the immense repulsion.

Varian closed his eyes and focused on the strand of energy. It was significantly higher than last time.

By forcing his will, Varian approached the energy strand and 'pulled' it. As if it were a thread connecting to a yarn, more strands of energy appeared before Varian heard a weird snap.

The strands of energy came from slivers. Now, the connection was cut off. Thankfully, he got a few strands by then.

Varian carefully extracted the tiny strands from his body. The moment they exited his body, the black and white strands expanded to cover the whole tunnel.

The tunnel itself began to shake violently and its walls began to slowly dissolve.

"Fuck! Fuck!" Varian realized that he took out more power than he could handle. If he didn't dispose of it now, he'd end up destroying the tunnel and killing the three of them in the process. The first victim would be Enigma in his embrace.

He hurriedly put her down. Using the chance, the white and black energy strands in his arms twisted as they tried to expand further. But Varian held them in place and used everything he had to press them down. "Arghh!"

The huge energy ball that was almost as large as a building was condensed into the size of a soccer ball.

Varian's bones were crackling as they fractured one by one due to the insane action. But despite the horrific pain, Varian stabilized the situation.

Varian took a step forward with the energy ball in his hands and as a result, a deep footprint was imprinted and the tunnel started to shake again.

Reaching the edge of the tunnel, Varian threw the energy ball at the weakest barrier they all tried to destroy and waited.

As a result, the indestructible barrier cracked apart upon contact without resistance.

With the barrier out, the huge gate behind it became clear. It had a blue vortex inside, acting as the gateway to another location.

Since that location even got a space gate like this one, it should be habitable at least.

They could survive! Perhaps he could even heal himself!

But before Varian could even fully rejoice, the gate that the barrier was holding was struck by the energy ball.

Under his dumbstruck gaze, the sturdy gate started to break down. It didn't even take minutes, in just thirty seconds, the gate dissolved into tiny metallic particles and dispersed into space.

Varian gulped at the spectacle. But he wasn't in a condition to appreciate it. His legs began to give out and his vision grew hazy.

Every bit of strength he could muster, he seemed to have used up in the final shot.

Tragically, the power he summoned was too powerful that not only did it break down the barrier, but it also broke down the gate.

Now, his body was slowly giving up on him, pushing him to eternal sleep.

Varian was unwilling but his legs grew weaker and he started falling backward.

"I" Varian stretched his arms, but all he could grab was empty air.

"If onlyIf only I have one more chance"

There'd be no more chances once he fell down and fainted. It'd all be over.

Varian's vision shifted and he saw the ceiling. Just as his head was about to hit the rough floor, he felt a soft arm grab him.

"O-One more time" Sia's painful voice sounded from behind.

She wrapped her arms around him and the repulsion started to destroy their bodies.

If it was before, Sia would've backed off. But today, she held him even more tightly and used the bit of gravity power she could muster.

They both floated in front of the barriers.

"Do it again," Sia said weakly.

Varian was on the verge of fainting. He couldn't even stand and was entirely leaning on Sia.

'Is this a dream?' He wondered but used the repulsions and grabbed a few more strands of the slivers' energy.

The energy was about to expand, but with the experience from last time, Varian confined it to the size of a fist.

"The energy in this." Sia's pale face stiffened but she didn't have the time to talk or ask about anything.

She too wouldn't be able to stay awake for long.

Sensing the energy in the ball, she pointed to a barrier. "That one."

Varian shot the energy ball to the sixth strongest barrier. Unlike earlier, this barrier actually contented with the energy ball for a good while before breaking down.

"Hahahaha! I did it! I di" Varian fainted in the middle of his exclamations.

Sia pointed at Sarah and the blonde girl floated to her best friend.

"Dammit Enigma, there are no reserves," Sia muttered helplessly, carrying both of them to the gate.

Her body was full of injuries and her stamina was non-existent. The hundred-meter walk caused Sia to almost give up several times.

But in the end, she dragged herself and the two to the vortex.

"Please let us survive." Sia prayed and stepped forward.

The silhouettes of Varian and his women disappeared into the red vortex.