Every blast and ripple of energy from afar was a message to Max. One simple message. No one was coming to help him.

The minotaur flared its nostrils once more.

“Please...” said Max.

The minotaur’s body began to glow with a yellow aura around it.

The monster then cocked its clawed fist back and then shot it forward at Max.

This was it...

There was no way he would survive a powerful hit from a minotaur...

He blinked.

His heart was still beating.

He was alive.

He didn’t even feel any pain.

He then opened his eyes and almost threw up at the horror.

The monster had torn through the flesh of his legs. Broken bones poked out from his bloodied skin.

And yet he wasn’t feeling anything because neurologically he had no response to anything below his waist.

It was like a messed-up form of invincibility, thought Max. Not really though, as he still stood a pretty good chance of dying from blood loss or shock.

The minotaur huffed and paced around him.

Why didn’t it just rip me to shreds as fast as it could? Max thought to himself. The creature wasn’t expecting an opponent to not fight back. It kept expecting me to come back at it with something. It was going to kill me with caution.

Max trembled and dragged himself backwards, leaving a trail of blood.

The world around him was becoming blurry as he moved.

“HELP!” he screamed once more.

If he didn’t get help, he was dead. No doubt about it.

The minotaur stepped forward. It inhaled and exhaled deeply, readying itself in the same way it had attacked last time.

Its body began to glow yellow again and it cocked back its fist.

“Someone! Please! Help!” screamed Max with his last remaining energy.

Max didn’t see himself surviving another blow from the minotaur’s powerful smash attack.

The minotaur threw down its fist towards Max, before suddenly jerking back in pain.

A bright blade of energy appeared by the creature’s shoulder and ripped out a piece of its flesh.

The minotaur wailed in pain.

“What...the...” gasped Max.

That energy blade—where had it come from? It had saved him.

A blurry figure laid a bruising punch into the minotaur’s back and sent it hurling across the park.

Max was at a loss for words. He looked up to see the figure who had just damaged the minotaur so easily.

It was a woman. About twice his age. Early thirties.

She had long black hair and wore a dark green leather jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans. She had a ruby badge pinned to her jacket with the letter B on it.

Max looked up to her surprised.

Was this the power of a citizen of the tower-zone?

* * *

Sakura Sato held up her arms in a fighting stance and took in the situation.