CHAPTER 56: A MONSTER IN HUMAN FLESH [2]

The mage’s heart thumped wildly in his chest.

’No way... his fighting style is brutal, overwhelming... I didn’t even see him activate a skill... was that just raw strength?’

His throat dried. A cold, sinking sensation settled in his gut as his grip tightened on the staff unconsciously.

"W-what are you waiting for, Anna? Let’s take him together!" he shouted.

Left to him alone, he would have abandoned this, but if they didn’t get rid of this person, the punishment they’d face at Neon’s hands would be even more brutal.

Anna didn’t answer immediately.

Her chains jingled slightly as she repositioned her stance, her earlier playful smirk long gone.

’Tch, this is bad. He’s not just some attacker... this guy’s on a whole different level...’

As a Level 50 Awakened, she was stronger than the warrior, who was a Level 49 existence, but it was only a one-level gap.

’This means that if I’m not careful, I’ll be in exactly the same state as him,’ she thought, giving her teammate a long side-eye.

He was struggling to stand back on his feet, but all his efforts seemed to go in vain.

She licked her black lips, a spark of excitement mixing into her fear, and looked at Gabriel with a pair of seductive eyes.

"Fine, you got me interested now."

FWIP!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Her chains danced in the air like serpents, slamming into the ground and tearing apart the floor tiles.

Gabriel didn’t flinch. His cold gaze shifted between the mage and Anna, and in a calm and almost bored voice, he said while gesturing with his arm,

"Come."

It pissed both the mage and the woman off.

"I won’t let you!" the mage roared, slamming his staff to the ground.

BANG!

A magic circle lit up, and immediately dozens of fireballs materialized around him.

FWOOOSH!

"Burn!" he shouted.

The fireballs shot forward like a meteor storm.

But Gabriel didn’t even bother dodging.

Clang!

He parried one with his sword.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Several fireballs exploded around him, but when the dust settled—he was still standing, unscathed, his Carapace Skin shimmering faintly over his chest.

"You’re going to need more than that," Gabriel taunted, hiding a smirk beneath his mask.

The mage’s face twisted.

"Damn it! Anna, now!" he shouted in a panicky voice.

"On it!" She whipped her chains forward, aiming to bind Gabriel’s legs.

Gabriel’s eyes gleamed.

In a split second, his foot stomped down, shifting his balance, and he dashed forward.

CLANG!

He parried another chain.

CLANG! CLANG!

Another two came, but his movements were fluid and precise as he dodged each of the chains, thanks to his over 100 points in agility.

"Haha, you’re good but can you handle this?!" Anna suddenly yanked her chains, causing them to ricochet off the ground and curve around Gabriel’s blind spot.

It was a smart feint.

But Gabriel spun Crimson Judgement in his hand, slashing twice.

SHING! SHING!

The chains snapped apart in mid-air, pieces clattering to the floor.

’He cut through my enchanted chains?!’ Anna’s expression broke for a second, and for the first time, she felt a genuine shiver down her spine.

At that moment, Gabriel was already in front of her.

She stepped back instinctively but it was too late.

Gabriel’s palm struck her abdomen.

"Gah!" Anna’s eyes widened as the force shot through her body.

BOOM!

She was blasted backward, rolling violently across the ground before crashing into a pillar.

"Anna!" the mage shouted in panic.

She groaned, trying to push herself up, but her limbs trembled uncontrollably.

’Damn it... one hit? What is this monster...?’ the mage’s breathing quickened.

Cold sweat dripped from his chin as he realized he was the only one left standing. He still couldn’t figure out how someone who was clearly lower level than them was obliterating them with just a single hit.

"Don’t... don’t think I’m that easy!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear as he gathered all his remaining mana.

Three destructive magic circles formed above him.

"Pillar of Destruction!!" he roared while pointing his staff outward.

FWOOOOOM! FWOOOOOM! FWOOOOOM!

Three massive pillars of flame surged toward Gabriel.

The heat distorted the air. The entire mansion trembled as the atmosphere became sizzling hot and the marble floor darkened.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, feeling the heat on his skin. Without a moment of hesitation, he dashed forward instead of retreating.

The mage’s eyes widened in disbelief. "He’s charging into the flames—!?"

Has he lost his mind? The mage couldn’t believe his eyes. Any sensible person should try to avoid the pillars of flame as best they could, and here he was... running straight into it.

Midway, Gabriel activated [Burrow Shift] at the last moment, disappearing underground.

The flames scorched the walls and obliterated the spot he was standing a moment ago.

"Did I get him?" the mage’s voice trembled as he looked around with eyes filled with cautiousness.

His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest as if it was about to jump out. He was the weakest in the group and somehow... somehow the two strongest had been dealt with even without landing a single hit.

’Tsk, is he dead? Was my flame so powerful that it turned him into ashes?’ the mage’s eyes glinted with hope.

His... his Pillar of Destruction was, after all, a Level 2 ski—

Suddenly, Gabriel erupted from the ground behind him.

"Surprise."

SHING!

A cold slash traced through the mage’s back. The mage collapsed forward, his staff rolling away.

Even before he could fall to the ground, Gabriel placed a hand on the back of his head.

"Extract!"

[Ding! You have extracted Mana Regeneration Elixir]

Afterward, he kicked the man’s body aside like trash and approached the others.

Although greatly weakened, Anna and the warrior were still very much alive.

"All right, here’s the deal," Gabriel said. "I need one of you to lead me to the auction room. If you do that, I’ll spare your life."

"You have five seconds."

"I—I’ll speak." The warrior and Anna both gathered all their strength and shouted at once.

"Good." Gabriel smiled. "Both of you... start speaking."