CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: EACH OF THEIR OWN BATTLES (PART 3)

Meanwhile, on a different section of the chaotic battlefield.

Hina and Genya stood facing their mind-controlled son with expressions that mixed determination and heartbreak in equal measure.

"Tch... this is fucked up," Hina muttered, her fists glowing with that familiar red energy while her heart was quietly tearing itself apart. "Having to fight our own kid..."

Not that she’d ever admit how much this was destroying her inside.

Genya’s experienced eyes assessed their son’s stance with professional detachment, even as paternal instinct screamed at him to protect rather than attack.

"His positioning is defensive but mobile," the burly man observed grimly. "He’s preparing to use his lightning abilities for hit-and-run tactics."

Before they were dabbling into the technological business, both parents had seen plenty of combat in their younger days.

As for the reason?

They were both fighters during their youthful days...

One is an ex-military soldier, while the other is an ex-gang member..

Genya from his military service, where tactical thinking and disciplined violence were essential skills for staying alive.

The first thing that bonded them the first time they met each other is their hidden love for anime and fantasy, in which they found out through a certain accident... and poof!, before they knew it they were married.

... Yep. It sounds surreal, but it happened.

"You know what’s really messed up about this?"

Hina’s voice suddenly carried a bitter edge as she watched Haru’s vacant, mind-controlled expression.

"When Nero told us this little nerd had survived the apocalypse... that he was actually fighting monsters and standing up during all this chaos..."

Her red aura flared brighter around her fists.

"I...I was so damn proud of him! Finally growing a backbone and everything!"

"..."

Genya stayed silent but nodded stiffly, his own emotions carefully controlled behind military discipline.

"Intelligence over physical strength... Always been his way of handling problems despite being an outcast of his classmates."

Their son had always been the opposite of what you’d expect from two former fighters.

Unlike them who were very much extroverted and social (in a way) back in their younger days, their little Haru was so shy, he was gloomy... he often likes things that stimulate the brain... one that makes Hina and Genya’s head question their own intelligence.

What he lacked in guts and physical engagement, he more than made up for with his brilliant mind.

Timid, analytical, preferring books over brawls and strategy over direct confrontation.

Both of them realized he was the polar opposite of what they are like.

... And that made them worried.

No, not the fact that he was different from them.

But it’s the probability that his anti-social attitude will cause him to be a target of bullying and being isolated by the other kids of his age.

That’s why they were proud to hear that Haru, despite being introverted, has finally managed to step up on his own.

But just as their good news had finally been received, now they’ve come... to the bad news.

"And now we have to beat the crap out of him?" Hina finished with a growl. "This situation sucks ass."

*Crackle...! Crackle...!*

Lightning began dancing around Haru’s fingers as his mind-controlled body prepared for combat, his analytical gaze scanning both parents with cold calculation.

Even under Vincent’s influence, that sharp intelligence was still functioning.

"Let’s get this over with," Genya said, summoning his metallic chains with practiced precision. "The sooner we knock him unconscious, the sooner the mind control breaks."

"Tch. Don’t hold back too much, or we’ll just drag this out longer."

Both parents moved simultaneously.

*WHOOSH!*

Hina launched herself forward like a red comet, her enhanced fists aiming for a non-lethal but decisive strike to Haru’s solar plexus.

*RATTLE! RATTLE! RATTLE!*

Genya’s chains erupted from the ground in a coordinated pattern, designed to trap their son in a binding formation before he could fully utilize his lightning abilities.

But Haru was already moving.

*ZAP!*

A small spark of electricity hit the ground exactly where Hina was about to land, causing her to veer off course to avoid the shock.

At the same moment, he’d already sidestepped away from the emerging chain formation.

"Tch!" Hina’s eyes narrowed as her punch hit empty air. "How did he know where I was gonna–"

*CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!*

More chains burst from the ground where Haru had been standing just seconds ago, but their son was already 10 feet away.

... It’s like he had predicted exactly where the restraints would appear.

Despite Vincent’s mind control, Haru’s enhanced analytical abilities were still functioning via his Mind Derivative passive skill, allowing him to process attack patterns and predict movements with frightening accuracy.

"Smart little bastard," Genya muttered grimly. "Even controlled, he’s still thinking like the genius he’s always been."

*Zap! Zap! Zap!*

Small lightning bolts forced both parents to keep their distance as Haru maintained perfect positioning.

Never getting cornered.

Never allowing them to surround him.

Always staying mobile while keeping both opponents in his line of sight.

"Damn it!" Hina tried to rush him again, but another well-placed spark made her dodge backward. "He won’t let me get close!"

The genius kid was fighting exactly like a genius would.

No unnecessary risks.

No direct confrontations against superior physical opponents.

Just pure tactical thinking and optimal positioning.

Both Genya and Hina didn’t know if they should be proud or feel troubled.

*RATTLE! RATTLE! RATTLE!*

Genya tried a different approach, sending his chains in complex serpentine patterns to limit Haru’s movement options.

But their son’s eyes tracked every chain link, his enhanced analytical mind calculating trajectories and timing.

*ZAP!*

He moved just before the metal restraints could close around him, electricity crackling around his feet to boost his speed.

"He’s not fighting like someone under mind control," Genya muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. "He’s still thinking several moves ahead."

*Crackle! BOOM!*

A larger electrical discharge forced both parents to retreat, giving Haru even more space to maneuver.

The kid was controlling the entire flow of battle.

"This is ridiculous!" Hina’s frustration boiled over as another attempt to close distance resulted in getting shocked away. "We should be able to overpower him easily!"

But that was the problem.

Power meant shit if you couldn’t land a hit.

Speed meant nothing if your opponent predicted where you were going.

Haru’s mind-controlled body was fighting with the same analytical brilliance that had always been his greatest strength, just applied to combat instead of survival planning.

*ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!*

More precisely placed electric attacks kept both parents at bay while Haru continued his methodical retreat toward better positioning.

The genius was slowly maneuvering the fight toward terrain that would give him even more advantages.

Just as the situation was looking hopeless...

*THUD! THUD! THUD!*

Familiar footsteps approached from behind.

"Having trouble?" Ren’s voice carried exhaustion but relief as he and Yuki appeared.

"Ren? Yuki?" Hina turned in surprise. "What are you doing here? What happened to your muscle kid?"

"We managed to subdue him~!" Yuki said, though her usual sparkly energy seemed dimmed by the emotional toll.

"That’s... that’s good," Genya’s relief was visible. "How’s the boy?"

"Unconscious but breathing normally. The vacant look is gone from his eyes."

Both parents felt a wave of hope wash over them at that news.

"We came to help," Ren continued, ice crystals already forming around his hands. "These are our kids we’re fighting. We’re not leaving you to handle this alone."

"About damn time," Hina growled, though gratitude was clear in her voice. "Kid’s making us look like amateurs."

Ren assessed the situation with tactical precision while ice crystals began forming around his hands.

"4 on 1. Multiple attack vectors. He can’t predict and counter everything simultaneously."

"Time for magical teamwork power!" Yuki’s rainbow energy started charging. "Everyone attacks all at once~!"

Haru’s analytical mind immediately recognized the changing dynamic.

His vacant eyes swept across the 4 adult opponents, calculating odds and escape routes.

*Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!*

Lightning began building around him more intensely as his mind-controlled instincts decided it was time to retreat.

"He’s gonna run!" Hina realized.

"No." Genya snarled.

*WHOOSH!*

All 4 parents moved simultaneously.

Ren’s ice created barriers to block escape routes.

Yuki’s magical projectiles forced specific movement patterns.

Genya’s chains emerged from multiple angles.

And Hina charged straight forward with everything she had.

For once, Haru’s analytical mind couldn’t process and counter 4 different ability sets attacking in perfect coordination.

*ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!*

His lightning managed to disrupt some of the coordinated assault, but not all of it.

*CRACK!*

One of Genya’s chains finally managed to wrap around his ankle.

"Got him!"

*FLASH!*

Yuki’s magical explosion created a blinding distraction.

*WHOOSH!*

Ren’s ice prison began forming around the temporarily immobilized target.

But just as victory seemed assured...

*BOOM!*

Haru overcharged his lightning ability, using the pain and electrical feedback to break the chain restraint through sheer desperate power output.

"Damn it!" Hina cursed as their son broke free again.

The genius was already moving, limping slightly from the overcharged lightning backlash but still dangerous.

His mind-controlled body had decided that escape was the only viable option.

*Crackle! ZAP!*

Another electrical discharge created space as he began retreating toward the edge of the battlefield.

"He’s getting away~!" Yuki called out in alarm.

But Hina had finally had enough.

Enough of chasing.

Enough of missing.

Enough of watching her brilliant son run away from his own family.

"You disobedient brat..."

The tsundere/ex-gang member/mother’s red aura exploded outward as she poured everything into one final charge.

*BOOM!*

With sheer determination and rage, she launched herself like a missile, ignoring the lightning that crackled around Haru’s position.

*ZAP!*

The electricity hit her directly, but Hina gritted her teeth and powered through the pain.

"YOU’RE! COMING! BACK! YOU! BRAT!"

Her enhanced durability from her gang-fighting days combined with pure maternal determination carried her through the electrical assault.

Haru’s vacant eyes slightly widened as his mother appeared in front of him despite all his defensive measures.

His analytical mind hadn’t accounted for someone willing to tank damage just to close the distance.

"You gloomy brat," Hina’s voice carried both frustration and fierce love. "Acting all smart and shit..."

"WAKE UP ALREADY!"

*SLAP!*

The most crisp slap in the world echoed across the battlefield.

A simple, open-handed slap from a pissed-off mother to her "misbehaving" son.

Not enhanced by powers.

Not charged with energy.

Just a regular maternal smack.

But that "regular" slap has enough power to make a non-muscle guy like Haru to be thrown away a few feet from where he’s at.

*Thud!*

Haru’s mind-controlled body crumpled instantly, the shock of receiving such a mundane attack from his mother somehow breaking through Vincent’s influence more effectively than any combat techniques in the world.

"..."

The battlefield fell silent as everyone stared at the unconscious genius at a distance.

... That’s gotta hurt when he wakes up.

"... Seriously?" Ren’s voice carried disbelief. "A slap?"

"Sometimes the simple solutions work best~!" Yuki giggled. "Magical mother power!"

"I–It’s not like I was worried about him or anything!" Hina muttered, her tsundere mask firmly back in place despite the obvious relief in her eyes. "Idiot kid just needed some sense slapped into him, that’s all, hmph!"

Genya shook his head with a mixture of amusement and exhaustion.

"Military tactics, gang fighting experience, coordinated assault plans... and what works is a basic disciplinary action."

"D–Don’t question it," Hina warned. "Results are what matters the most...!"

"..."

Just as the parents were finally allowing themselves to feel relief over successfully subduing their children...

*AGHHHHHHH!!!!*

A blood-curdling scream of absolute agony ripped across the battlefield.

Vincent’s voice.

And it sounded like someone was slowly tearing him apart.

"..."

All 4 parents turned toward the sound with mixed expressions.

"Well," Ren said dryly. "Sounds like things are wrapping out there..."

The other parents couldn’t help but agree.

Well... that was until,

"YUI!"

It was followed by an ear-splitting scream of Haori calling her daughter.

***

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