CHAPTER 212: WARNING

"Now I have even more reason to kill every last one of you," Adyr muttered with clear irritation as he glanced at the approaching mutants, then confirmed the registration without hesitation.

The moment he did, 400 units of energy were ripped from his core. It wasn’t just a number dropping on a panel—he felt it physically. The energy he had just converted through his energy body from Twilight Land vanished in an instant, leaving behind a hollow sensation in his chest. It was like watching a long-term investment in state bonds collapse overnight.

Still, the cost came with a reward. 80 free stat points were added directly to his system, waiting to be distributed.

More importantly, this marked the hardest requirement for advancing to Rank 3 Practitioner. Based on the intel he had gathered from Liora and others, the criteria were clear: at least one registered Level 4 talent and a maximum energy capacity of 600. He had met both conditions.

The only thing left was acquiring a Rank 3 Spark. He had already chosen the one he wanted, but the price was steep—something that would require serious preparation.

Yet even that wasn’t the real reason he was holding off.

The Legacy Domain event was approaching fast, and participants were limited to Rank 2 Practitioners and below. If he evolved now, he would be disqualified. For Adyr, that event held far more value than a rushed advancement. So, he decided to postpone his evolution and focus entirely on strengthening his talents.

These thoughts passed in a matter of seconds before he shifted his full attention back to the battlefield.

The first goal—unlocking Observer Level 4—was complete. Now it was time to move on to the second.

He finally stopped evading attacks. Now, it was time to strike.

He glanced upward, toward the swarm of drones that had been buzzing above the battlefield for some time now. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Those weren’t surveillance drones—they were media drones, live-streaming his every move across the networks of all 12 Shelter Cities. Since the moment he entered the battlefield, millions had been watching.

He didn’t know exactly what the public had been saying about him so far, but he had a good idea of what they’d be talking about after this.

Because now, he was going to show them exactly what they wanted to see.

And what they’d soon regret witnessing.

"You want me to be a hero, huh?" He muttered, slipping past another wild claw swipe as he slid his blade back into the sheath across his back.

He wouldn’t be needing it for what came next.

His uniform tore open at the back in two sharp lines, and with a sound like splintering bone, skeletal structures burst outward—jagged, raw, and precise. Within seconds, feathers began to sprout from the frame.

Pure white and divine in color. Snow-pale wings unfurled from his back, immaculate and otherworldly, the rain seeming to avoid them as if repelled by something unseen. Each drop that touched them simply slid off, never absorbed, never staining their pristine surface.

But this form was only temporary.

Adyr activated Crystal Husk, the skill granted by his Duskrend Spark.

In a heartbeat, the radiant feathers darkened. The soft whites deepened into a cold obsidian black. Light drained from them, replaced by a translucent sheen. They crystallized—sharp, angular, ghostlike. The wings were no longer flesh and feather. They had become weapons.

Each blade-like edge shimmered with deadly clarity. Their glass-like surface reflected the thunder that cracked through the clouds above, catching every flash and twisting it through their fractured geometry.

They looked like the broken swords of a god who had fallen long ago—majestic, forgotten, and now reborn in wrath.

Then came the final touch.

Adyr poured Malice into the wings, cloaking them in dense black smoke that writhed like something alive. The aura seeped outward, swallowing light, corrupting the air around him. Whatever angelic presence had existed moments ago was gone. In its place stood a being that looked like it had crawled out of the ruins of heaven—a fallen figure, crowned in ash and fire.

But the appearance wasn’t just for show.

Malice didn’t only corrupt appearance—it corrupted effect. Every strike carried twice the destructive force. Adyr didn’t flap or swing the wings. He unleashed them.

With a sharp twist of his torso and a powerful motion from his core, the wings slashed outward in opposite arcs. The motion was fast—almost imperceptible. A silent, brutal sweep that carved through the air like twin scythes.

Dozens of mutants were caught in the path.

Creatures whose armored hides could resist STF-grade armor-piercing rounds were split clean down the middle.

Their reinforced carapaces offered no resistance. The wings tore through them like blades forged for butchery, slicing through flesh, bone, and armor in a single, merciless sweep.

Thick limbs were severed, torsos split open with a wet, cracking sound. Chitinous shells burst apart as organs spilled onto the mud, steaming in the cold rain. Blood sprayed in dark arcs across the battlefield, painting the ground with raw violence.

Some mutants didn’t even realize they had been cut until their upper halves slid from their legs, collapsing into the pooling crimson beneath them. The silence that followed was not peace, but terror—mutants that remained alive and seemed emotionless froze in place once again, paralyzed by the scent of ruptured guts and the echo of death made real.

"Tremble."

Adyr’s voice cut through the rain-soaked silence like a blade—cold, distant, and absolute. Even the relentless patter of rainfall faded into the background, as if the world itself paused to listen.

And with that single word, the horde obeyed.

Mutants across the battlefield shook uncontrollably, not out of instinct, but from the suffocating terror that poured off his body and pierced straight into their souls.

He launched himself into the next cluster, twisting midair with flawless precision. His wings lashed outward in a perfect arc, carving a full circle through flesh and bone. Heads flew. Torsos split open. Blood rained as he landed among the dismembered.

"Feel it."

His voice came again—low, steady, like death itself whispering through the mist. The earth beneath his feet trembled, as if reacting to the sheer weight of his presence. The creatures nearest him staggered, their malformed legs barely holding them upright. Some collapsed from fear alone.

He dashed forward, boots crushing still-warm entrails beneath him, and lunged into another group. Black crystal wings flashed once more, and bodies exploded into fragments—limbs hurled skyward, ribcages torn open, organs flung like discarded trash across the bloodied field.

"Understand."

This time, his voice wasn’t meant for the battlefield.

It reached the drones above, and through them, pierced into the homes, shelters, offices, and bunkers of millions watching from the safety of their screens. Carried by the black haze of Malice, his presence seeped into every corner of the network.

"This is the sense of safety you don’t want—but the one you deserve."

The message struck deeper than any blade. It wasn’t just for the frightened citizens who clung to the idea of a savior. It was for the ones above them—the officials, executives, and planners who saw Adyr as a weapon, a piece to move on the board, something to control.

But there was no control.

This was a declaration, a warning to every eye fixed on him.

He wasn’t a symbol. He wasn’t a tool. And there was no chain in the world strong enough to bind a monster like him.

—

A/N: I hope all of you read this little complaint of mine. (Especially to the pirate sites that copy and paste the page, I’m not against you, but I kindly ask you to include this part without cutting it. Thank you.)

For a long while now, NovelBin has lost interest in the book and hasn’t promoted it for quite some time. So I haven’t been gaining new readers and I’m only being supported by the existing ones. I especially thank them, I’m glad you’re here.

The problem is that I spend hours just writing the daily Chapters, and as someone who relies on this book for income, right now it’s at a level that doesn’t even cover a small part of my monthly expenses. This pushes me to question whether the time and effort I’m spending are truly worth it.

For now, I’ll continue writing the book, because I started with the desire to see it through to the end as a promise I made to myself. But if things get harder and NovelBin continues to ignore it, then I’ll have to decide what to do.

For the time being, if any of you are still actively reading, I’d really appreciate it if you could at least come and leave a review on the book. Just so I can understand how you feel about the direction it’s going and whether the time spent is worth it. Thank you all and I wish you a good day.