Villain With The Absolute Evil Sytem
Chapter 56 - 54 : The Chase (2)

Chapter 56: Chapter 54 : The Chase (2)

Boom.

A single step.

Reinhardt closed a quarter of the distance between them in a blink.

Boom.

Another step.

Another quarter.

Shirley’s pulse spiked.

"LUMIAN."

Lumian clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, yeah, I see him—"

Reinhardt vanished.

Lumian jerked sideways on instinct—

CRASH!

The spot where he had been just a second ago exploded into rubble.

Shirley’s stomach lurched. "Holy shit—"

"Still want to fight?" Lumian asked.

Reinhardt reappeared where his strike had landed, expression as unreadable as ever, his fist buried in the ground.

Then he turned his head.

Locked eyes with Lumian.

And in a flash he lunged again.

"Fuck this."

Lumian grabbed Shirley tighter and kicked off the ground, launching them forward.

Shirley felt like her stomach had been left behind as the scenery warped into streaks of color.

This wasn’t just running anymore, it was survival.

They tore through the schoolyard.

Past the corpses. Past the overturned cars. Past the burning school buses.

The town sprawled ahead of them, streets winding and twisting like veins beneath the dull afternoon sky.

Lumian took a sharp turn down an alley—

And Reinhardt matched his speed.

No hesitation. No pause.

Shirley risked another glance back,

The distance between them hadn’t changed.

"He’s not slowing down," she hissed. "How the hell—"

Lumian exhaled sharply, eyes darting across the rooftops.

"We need to put distance between us."

"Yeah, no shit—"

He suddenly changed direction.

Not forward.

Up.

Shirley barely had time to process before Lumian kicked off the ground, leaping onto a nearby fire escape.

The metal groaned beneath his weight, then he kicked off again. Onto the rooftop.

Shirley felt weightless for a split second before Lumian landed, rolling smoothly into a sprint across the gravel-covered roof.

The wind howled past them.

The world stretched into an open expanse.

For a brief moment, Shirley thought—’This might actually work.’

And then; Boom

Reinhardt landed behind them.

Shirley’s stomach dropped.

Lumian scoffed.

"I hate this guy." Shirley spat

Reinhardt moved again.

The distance closed

Ten meters.

Five meters.

One.

His hand reached for Lumian’s shoulder.

Lumian spun and threw Shirley.

She barely had time to scream before she was soaring through the air.

But she didn’t fall.

Lumian had aimed precisely, sending her sailing across rooftops toward another building.

She landed, rolling into a crouch.

Her heart hammered.

She looked back just in time to see Lumian swing an open palm at Reinhardt’s chest.

He didn’t aim to wound.

He didn’t aim to kill.

He aimed to push.

A concussive blast of force exploded from Lumian’s hand.

Not enough to hurt Reinhard

But enough to send him flying.

Reinhardt skidded across the rooftop, boots digging into the gravel.

His momentum finally stopped at the very edge.

He looked up.

Saw Lumian already grabbing Shirley again and running.

Lumian didn’t stop.

He couldn’t.

Reinhardt was too fast. Too relentless.

The cityscape blurred past as he leaped across rooftops, dodged past abandoned construction sites, cut through alleys and twisted roads.

He could hear Reinhardt, still following.

Still chasing.

But for now, the distance was enough.

Shirley clung to him, panting. "Where the hell are we going?"

"Away," Lumian muttered.

"We are away—"

"Not far enough."

Shirley grit her teeth. "He’s gonna catch us eventually, isn’t he?"

Lumian didn’t answer. He needed to think of something, a way out of this.

Because he didn’t need to.

She already knew the answer. Then the city suddenly ended.

Buildings gave way to open roads. Fields stretched beyond the horizon.

They were on the outskirts now.

A final stretch of empty land before the dense forest

Lumian ran for the trees.

Shirley’s eyes widened.

"Wait, are you seriously leading him into the goddamn forest?"

Lumian grinned.

"You got a better idea?"

Shirley opened her mouth, then shut it.

She did not.

Behind them Reinhardt burst onto the open road.

The distance was shrinking.

Shirley could feel it.

And for the first time a deep, gnawing feeling curled in her gut.

They might not make it.

She turned to Lumian.

He was still grinning.

Still laughing. The excitement of the chase pleased him greatly.

The sun had begun its slow descent, bleeding warm hues of orange and red into the sky. The dense forest stretched endlessly ahead, shadows growing long and deep as dusk settled in.

But the chase had not ended.

Reinhardt was still there.

Still behind them.

Still closing in.

Lumian’s breathing remained steady, his mind sharp despite the prolonged sprint. Shirley, still slung over his shoulder, had stopped struggling. Whether she trusted him or had simply accepted their impending fate, he didn’t know.

Didn’t care.

His attention was fixed forward

And then, he saw it.

A flicker of light through the trees.

A campfire.

His sharp eyes picked out figures around it. young boys, gathered in a loose circle. A scoutmaster stood nearby, speaking to them.

A boy scout camp.

Lumian grinned.

"Perfect."

Shirley frowned. "What’s perfect?"

Lumian didn’t answer.

Instead, he adjusted his stance and struck out with his free hand as he sprinted past the trees.

Crack!

A massive tree tilted then collapsed into the clearing.

The scouts screamed.

The scoutmaster’s head snapped toward them, eyes widening in panic.

Then

Crack!

Another tree.

Then another.

Lumian’s movements were a blur, his strikes clean and precise, sending trees toppling toward the unsuspecting group.

A disaster about to unfold.

And just as he’d expected, Reinhardt stopped.

Shirley gasped as she realized what Lumian was doing. "Oh... Oh, you..."

Lumian grinned.

Reinhardt barely hesitated.

His body twisted.

And then, in a single leap, he launched himself toward the scouts.

The hero moved.

Faster than the falling trees, faster than the panic spreading across the scoutmaster’s face.

Boom.

A single punch and the first falling tree splintered into dust.

Boom.

A blur of motion and the second tree was flung aside before it could crush the children.

Boom.

The final tree shattered mere inches above the scoutmaster’s head, sending wooden shards flying into the dusk-lit air.

The boys screamed.

The scoutmaster fell to his knees, shaking.

Reinhardt stood in the aftermath, chest rising and falling with steady breaths.

Then he turned back but Lumian and Shirley were gone.

No footprints.

No lingering presence.

Nothing.

Like they had never been there at all.

Hidden deep within the forest, Lumian finally let out a breath.

He had used [Dread Step] the moment Reinhardt turned away. A seamless escape, vanishing into the void of the forest between moments.

Shirley sat on the ground, catching her breath.

She looked up at Lumian, eyes unreadable.

Then she smirked.

"That was a dick move."

Lumian chuckled. "It was a smart move. Besides, I don’t want to hear about dick moves from you,"

Shirley leaned back against a tree, staring at the darkening sky.

"...We actually got away."

Lumian’s smile lingered.

But he said nothing. Now more than ever, he was excited to leave Moamao and Join the Vanguards, Reinhardt’s strength excited him, he couldn’t wait to have it and bring him to his knees.