Lumian snapped his head to the side, but there was nothing there.
In that split second, he reacted on instinct, swinging his arm sharply to the right.
Bam!
The space beside him rippled, turning shadowy and distorted, as if something had been struck mid-movement. Seeing this, the sorcerers immediately grew alert.
In the next instant, a figure materialized near a broken doorway.
He wore a white mask etched with strange designs, an X marked over the right eye. A black clergyman's robe draped over his frame, swaying slightly.
Sharley, from the Ravager Order, wasted no time. He charged forward, fist clenched, closing the distance in a second.
Bam!
But the masked figure dissolved into black smoke before the punch could land.
He reappeared on the roof.
Without hesitation, the others raised their guns and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The masked man moved with unnatural agility—one moment crouched on the ground, the next clinging to the wall, then standing atop the roof. Every bullet missed as he weaved through the battlefield like a living shadow.
...
The masked man suddenly came to a halt and smiled, placing a hand over his mask.
In the next instant, his arm began to stretch unnaturally. Invisible stitches formed along his skin as it elongated grotesquely. He swung the extended limb toward the group.
Hargreaves and the others quickly dodged while maintaining steady fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The masked man retracted his arm and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Vincent, his arm already extending again.
Vincent reacted instantly. Black feathers manifested around him, layering into a defensive barrier that absorbed the strike. Using the momentum, he pivoted to the right and counterattacked.
But the masked man withdrew his arm and disappeared once more.
Sharley didn't hesitate. He charged once more, and unleashed a rapid flurry of blows. The masked man dodged several strikes—but one punch landed squarely on his face.
This was the power of a Ravanger. Adaptation!
The masked man staggered slightly, as he looked at Sharley in shock. Yet he didn't linger. He vanished again as Hargreaves and the others continued firing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...
As the masked man sprinted away, a pure ray of light suddenly descended from the sky, striking the spot he had just occupied. This was Berlie's ability.
Light exploded outward, smoke and dust rising into the air. But when it cleared, the man was gone.
The team quickly spread their senses, remaining on high alert.
Suddenly, he reappeared, this time just beside Lumian.
Lumian reacted instantly, shifting to the right as butterflies manifested around him and detonated in sharp bursts.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The masked man seemed slightly startled.
Taking the opportunity, Lumian closed the distance and unleashed a series of punches. The masked man evaded smoothly, countering with strikes of his own.
For a moment, the two relied purely on their speed and acrobatics. Dodging, weaving, and exchanging blows in rapid successions.
Suddenly, a bullet shot toward the masked man. He dropped into a squat to avoid it, but in the same motion, drove an uppercut into Lumian's jaw.
Bam!
Blood burst from Lumian's nose as he staggered back.
Rosanne reacted immediately, as she quickly recited a spell.
In the next instant, an illusory arm shot forward, gripping the masked man in place. Around him, countless grotesque figures materialized, gripping and shrieking as they swarmed him.
But just as quickly, he broke free. Because it was only an illusion.
...
Lumian quickly wiped the blood from his face, thinking inwardly, This man has to be at least Phase 7… and he hasn't even launched a full attack yet. What is he protecting—or is he just observing?
He raised his pistol and fired at the masked man perched atop a pole.
Bang!
The intricately engraved bullet hit only the glass. The masked figure vanished once again.
...
Hahaha! Hahaha!
The sinister laughter echoed through the house. Lumian cast his gaze inside, and to his shock, noticed it wasn't a man making the sound. It was the St. Mary text itself!
"What is he doing to the text?"
Without a second thought, Lumian withdrew his gun and sprinted towards the door. The man noticed him, and frowned, as he disappeared once more, reappearing in the doorway as Lumian approached.
...
Lumian swung a punch, but the masked man twisted his head sharply to the right, evading the strike. As Lumian moved left, attempting to enter the door, the figure's elongated arm shot out, blocking his path.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets tore through the air, forcing Lumian to drop into a squat. Amidst the chaos, the masked man began murmuring a spell under his breath. In an instant, blue threads wove out of thin air, slicing through the incoming bullets with precision.
Lumian stood, only to realize the man had vanished once again. Then, a few steps away, he appeared once again, this time with the text hovering next to him.
...
The masked man suddenly lowered his gaze to the St. Mary text and began flipping through its pages.
Wait… is he reading it? I thought the book was written as though she had already ran mad? What exactly is he doing with it?
In the next instant, Lumian pulled the trigger, releasing a white, intricately engraved bullet.
As it sped forward, flames burst into existence from thin air.
The masked man lifted his head from the text.
The fire swallowed the bullet, melting it midair, then surged toward Lumian in a blazing wave.
Lumian twisted his body with sharp acrobatics, narrowly avoiding the flames.
They scorched past him, burning into the wooden door behind.
He's casting spells directly from St. Mary's book… What does that text actually contain?
Hargreaves and the others, immediately took thier shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But flames erupted again, incinerating every incoming bullet.
Suddenly, the man disseapeared alongside the text.
A second later, he reappeared near a wooden crate.
Hargreaves anticipated the movement pattern and fired immediately.
Bang!
But this time, the masked man rolled across the floor, sprang back to his feet, and extended his arm once more.
...
As the elongated hand came crashing down, the group scattered instantly, debris exploding in every direction.
The masked man retracted his arm and dashed toward the roof once more.
...
Rosanne breathed softly, as her pupils seemed to disseapear, and become colourless.
In the next instant, the air twisted violently. A massive tornado formed and surged toward the masked man.
Amid the incoming attack, the man simply stood there, as he didn't think of dodging.
The tornado engulfed him, lifting his body high into the air. Winds howled as he spun helplessly within the vortex before being slammed back down to the ground with crushing force.
It was not an illusion rather a strike!
Seeing the opportunity, Hargreaves holstered his pistol and pressed two fingers to his forehead, murmuring a spell.
Suddenly, his body blurred as though creating after images, and a second Hargreaves was formed.
The first charged toward the masked man while the other remained behind, firing steadily.
Bang! Bang!
Closing the distance, Hargreaves launched a punch, then a swift kick.
With no time to evade, the masked man was struck cleanly.
At the same time, another beam of light descended from the sky.
...
Smoke quickly surged upwards, revealing the masked man who could be seen swaying slightly, his movements unstable—like someone who had lost control. Then he collapsed onto the floor.
Lumian let out an awkward chuckle, as he took a breath of relief.
...
Suddenly, a figure emerged on the roof. It had a white mask, and a black clergyman robe.
Seeing this, they quickly turned and checked the body, but it was nowhere to be found.
Lumian raised his eyes, as he started firing relentlessly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
F**k… is this person even human? he cursed inwardly.
The masked man dashed once more, weaving through every bullet with inhuman precision. He dropped into a squat beside the doorway, then rose smoothly, the St. Mary text returning to hover at his side.
He began reading again, as flames erupted once more, heading towards them.
The group reacted instantly—blurring and reappearing near a pole as Hargreaves merged back with his duplicate.
Regaining formation, they opened fire once more.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...
Sharley lunged forward with a clenched fist. The masked man shifted left, narrowly avoiding the strike. In the same fluid motion, he retaliated with a sharp kick.
But Sharley adjusted mid-step, adapting instantly as the masked man vanished a short distance away, reappearing while calmly reading from the St. Mary text.
Flames immediately burst outward. Sharley twisted through them, his body adapting to the heat and angle of attack.
With one hand, he raised the pistol and pulled the trigger.
Click!
Nothing was fired!
Amid the fake shot, the masked man looked slightly confused, allowing Sharley to step in and drive his fist upward.
Bam!
The uppercut connected cleanly, snapping the masked man's head back.
He staggered slightly, then his free hand slowly moved to the area of his stomach, where a dark stain had already spread across his robe.
One of the bullets had finally reached him.
...
Seeing the situation, Sharley immediately charged forward, intent on ending the fight.
Suddenly, The masked man brought both hands together.
Clap!
In that instant, he vanished. Where he had stood, something else appeared.
It was an inhuman creature, Its arms were unnaturally long, dragging against the ground. Its skin was deathly pale, stretched thin as if frozen solid. Its head hung dislocated to the left at an impossible angle.
Its body bulged and bubbled grotesquely, as though it might burst at any moment.
Drip! Drip! Drip!
The sound of blood hitting the floor echoed through the abandoned building.
Sharley charge had stop, because his head had just been smashed.