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Dazai lazily gazed down at the forest riddled with thunderous gunfire.

He looked down at the hellish battlefield with a carefree expression as he enjoyed the cool, night breeze.

"This is the logic of the world." Dazai said in a singsong voice. "The absolute truth, adapting over all things in nature across all periods of time—In this world, the group is stronger than the individual. An ability user is stronger than the group. And—"

Dazai smiled as the explosive blast reached his cheeks like it was a comfortable breeze.

"A group of ability users is stronger than a lone ability user."

⤗⤗⤗⥁⬽⬽⬽

Verlaine maxed out the gravity on his side.

With a propulsive power that went beyond that of the time manipulation, Verlaine quickly distanced himself from the battlefield. Verlaine's bones creaked at the abrupt acceleration that went beyond his limitations.

Even with this crisis unfolding before his eyes, Verlaine didn't lose judgement. The situation wasn't desperate yet. He just had to retreat as much as possible, staying away from the enemy's waves of attacks. Then, once he got back on his feet, he would use his gravity to throw back the bullets and shoot down the ability users one by one. It'd be his win.

There were three more gifted left. With just that much, their difference in strength was still not—

Suddenly, his skin started to bleed.

Verlaine looked down at his cuffs. The skin stuck to the inside of his clothes peeled off, revealing the flesh underneath. But there was minimal bleeding and he hardly felt any pain. 

He instinctively landed. The minute he touched the ground, the skin on his heel peeled off. He could tell because of the slimy feeling. But he still didn't feel any pain.

A new ability user was attacking. Though, he quickly saw their true form.

Verlaine's breath turned white and his skin froze over while white frost formed on his eyelashes.

"Let us embrace in our freezing love. Let us embrace while the frozen flowers break apart as they bloom."

A new ability user emerged with a singing voice much like a delicate scream. She had long, white hair, a white stole, frosty breath, and a crimson rose on her chest. Every time the woman took a breath, the surrounding trees froze, cracked, and split to pieces because of the freezing then swelling of the sap.

Verlaine understood instantly.

An atmosphere cooling ability user.   

His skin peeled off earlier because it was exposed to low temperatures that stuck to his clothes and shoes, coming off once he moved. She could freeze his body in an instant. It wouldn't take long to completely freeze his flesh and bones.

This is too dangerous of an ability.

Since her attacks froze things over, there was no physical contact and therefore, he couldn't defend himself with his gravity. Verlaine's natural enemy.

Verlaine groaned in pain as a sniper's bullet pierced his shoulder.

The bullet was cold. Lodged in his shoulder, it began to freeze into his skin with frost growing on it. The low temperature invaded his wound and ate into his flesh.

The enemy's gifted attacks were falling into place a little too smoothly. Time delay, then the freezing over, then the snipers. Their tactics were clearly designed to target his weak points and forbid his strong points.

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