Chapter 11
Rise of the Crusader
It had been eight hours since Raphael woke after that battle between him and Adrian.
After Bryan left the room, a couple of hours later and Aiden left as well. He had been waiting for Serena to leave the room, so he could barge into Raphaelâs place and ask him how he knew Serena so well, but even after four hours went by, Serena didnât leave his room.
Aiden was considering staying over till Serena walked out of the room, but he was chased outside by Devon once it was midnight.
âUrgh! This is really upsetting... Isnât she supposed to go to her dormitory? Why does she have to stay here and inconvenience me?â Raphael grumbled as he stared at Serena, who was sleeping on his bed with a smile on her face.
There was no way he was going to be sleeping on the same bed with her, so he had to move to another side of the room.
Raphael had set up his room similar to how his room was at home. There were two sides, one where his bed, bookshelves, wardrobe, and Gusâs perch were, and the other was his working area, where all his gadgets and instrument were placed.
âUhmmmm... The food is really delicious!â
.....
As he stared at Serena who was now sleep-talking, a sneer couldnât help but appear on Raphaelâs face, âThatâs the mistake I made. I should have made it salty, then maybe you wouldnât have decided to sleep here.â Raphael exclaimed.
He then sat in front of his construction table, with a book and pen in his hand.
âThe power to transform into a physical body made of metal.â Raphael put down the first words in the book with a stern look on his face, âItâs kind of awesome, donât you think? It would grant you good defense and a good offense.â He said.
Raphael was speaking to Gus, cause a few seconds after he sat on the chair, Gus came to the table right away.
âWell, it has flaws all over it. Since the possessor transformed himself into a solid piece of metal with everything that comes with it, his speed is going to be below average. Also, he has a high vulnerability to electricity.â
Gus shook his head when he heard Raphael. âI know, it is not worth it. Besides, electricity, I only need to touch that scrap he transforms into, and I would wreak him.â Said Raphael.
âMetal man? What a joke!!!â Raphael jested, as he opened the next page.
The actual truth was, even if Serena didnât sleep on his bed, he would still not have gone to bed early and would have spent his time jotting down the powers which he came across in the past few days.
Raphael wasnât only outstanding in the skill of development, but he also dedicated his time studying and learning about superpowers He, however, focused more on learning about their disadvantage, and weaknesses.
So, whenever he saw a superpower, he would make his research on it, and write them down in his book. In the last few days he had encountered a few powers, and now it was time to write about them.
âEnhanced intelligence. I actually envy Devon,
a little because his intellect is far above others. But, I can pick a few flaws from his powers, despite how amazing it is.â
âSince his intelligence is just at the peak of a human level, he is still prone to mistakes. There is also a certainty that his intellect would affect how he thinks and that might cause several emotional and psychological problems.â Raphael said.
As he spoke, he kept writing it down, âIn Devonâs case, heâs unable to talk to women. Itâs quite strange though, but who knows, I guess it would have to do with his powers. And I also doubt if he has any other friend besides Aiden.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Raphael suddenly paused, âNot that I think of it, there are actually high chances he becomes insane because of the information he has gathered all this while.â
âMhmmmmmmmm...â
Gus and Raphael turned towards Serena when they heard her voice, âI will have to be more quiet.â Raphael whispered to Gus, who nodded its head as though it understood what Raphael had just said.
âIf I had made more preparation, then I would have killed that dude. Though his power makes him unpredictable, and dangerous, his defense is complete shit.â
The power in writing was Adrianâs so-called ability to control dark powers.
Raphael, however, didnât dwell on the power too much because he knew that the reason why Adrian was even able to land those hits on him was that he failed to grasp his powers quickly. Which was why the instant he realized that his defense was horrible, he gave the piece of crap a beat down.
âYou know if I had the chance to choose any other power, it would be one of this three.â A smile then appeared on Raphaelâs face, âI would have chosen either blood manipulation, temporal rewind, or space-time manipulation.â Said Raphael.
âThereâs just so many things I can do with any of those powers. Did you also notice how Hector had made Aiden make a move on Bryan without even laying hands? Thatâs the kind of thing blood manipulation is capable of.â
âI wouldnât even have to move, and I would be able to control so many people. The power is really astounding, especially if he should be able to drive himself into the bloodless state.â
While Hector might have arranged the match between him and Adrian, Raphael didnât loathe him, instead, he was a big fan. As long Hector didnât cross his path, then he would still remain an admirer of the power.
Raphael had a lot of reasons for taking interest in powers, but the most important one of them was for security reasons.
Whether stranger, friend, or foe, he always liked to be on a safer end.
âAs for Bryanâs power, come on, that has to be incredible. Who wouldnât want to be able to rewind time back? I wonder how far he can take it back to, seconds, minutes, or even days.â
âHahahahahaha!!!!! With that kind of power, I donât think anyone would need protection in that area. Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!â Raphael laughed hard at the words he had just said.
After a few seconds, he then stopped, âI would have to experience the space-time manipulation, a little before I can make any assumption about what its weakness would be. As for Bryan, thereâs no way rewinding time wouldnât take a toll on his body.*
âIt is quite difficult to tell the weakness of all this without making extensive research. But before my powers, there are still lacking far behind, unlike the three powers which Iâm certain that they would possess shortcoming, my power doesnât.â Raphael uttered in complete confidence.
âI believe thatâs all!â
The instant he said those words, Gus, who was standing on the top flew back to its perch. Its eyes were then shut closed.
A light smile appeared on Raphaelâs face when he saw Gus flying to its perch. There had never been a moment in which he would be in his working space, and Gus wouldnât be there with him. It had become something he was used to.
Raphael placed the book back in his interspatial ring, he turned, and seeing Serena still sleeping on his bed brought a frown on his face, âI wonder what sort of power you possess.â Raphael mumbled.
He had known Serena for a very long time, that she even knew his mother, and still, he was unable to figure out what her power was. She had used so many elements in front of him, that he had speculated that her power was the ability to control all elements, but when he asked her, she said no.
âNot even close!â Those were the words that Serena said that day.
Raphael stood from the chair he was seating on, then after stretching his body a little, he raised his hand slightly, and checked the time on his wristwatch, âThere is still four hours to go.â He muttered.
âI guess I will spend the remaining time reading string theory.â