A thunderous explosion echoed through the underground black market, the sheer force of it sending chills down everyone's spine.
Spectators scattered in panic. What they thought was just another show of dominance between the black market bosses had escalated into something no one had expected.
That guy... he's a monster!
"Just barely... just barely..."
Jane panted, her tail flicking anxiously behind her. She looked toward the explosion's center, her face a mix of shock and relief.
Who the hell was that guy?
Hand-crafting a giant bomb?
From what she knew, neither the military nor the sheriffs had access to tech like that.
Was it some new development? Or smuggled in from New Eridu?
"Damn, that guy's insane! He's the most badass person I've ever seen!"
Not far off, another black market customer who had also fled stood staring at the rising smoke, jaw slack.
"Yeah! He just went toe-to-toe with a black market boss! That takes serious guts. If he makes it through this, I'm recruiting him for sure—"
"Yeah, right! Your group couldn't afford him. You guys make less in a week than we do in a day. He should be with us!"
The two customers quickly descended into a shouting match over Zane's allegiance, nearly coming to blows.
"Scary as hell... Good thing the black market's been reinforced over the years. If not, this whole place would've come crashing down."
"Damn, I'm glad I never underestimated that guy. He's nuts..."
The explosion had clearly stirred the crowd. For them, it was just entertainment—and now, it was spectacular.
Smoke and dust still filled the blast zone.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm! (Boss is amazing!)"
Panta bounced in excitement, proud of his decision to hold back on firing earlier.
"He's not dead yet."
Zane waved a hand as the Ether crystals encasing him and Panta shattered and scattered. He stepped forward.
With a rush, the curved sword raider burst from the smoke and bolted toward the exit of the underground black market.
His weapon was snapped, helmet cracked, and fear gripped him like a vice. He was desperate to flee—as if four legs still wouldn't be fast enough.
How did he end up facing someone this terrifying?
The explosion's force at the center was far beyond what the smoke had shown. If he hadn't used the guy next to him as a shield, he'd be nothing but dust right now.
"What?! He actually ran for it?!"
"Look at him—damn! That blast must've been insane!"
The spectators noticed the fleeing raider and erupted in disbelief. No one had expected it to end this quickly.
They thought there'd be more to the fight.
"What a shame. It's over—no more show."
"Over? Are you sure? Did you even see that masked guy? With an explosion like that, there's no way he wasn't caught in it too!"
"You're right, that guy..."
"Wait! He's coming out!"
From within the thinning smoke, Zane emerged, eyes cold and distant. Panta waddled along behind him.
Zane's gaze followed the retreating raider. He slowly raised his arms, palms opening like blooming lotuses.
"I hate it when people touch those I care about. Even if you die, you won't escape."
"I'll drag you back from the underworld and kill you all over again."
His eyes burned with killing intent. Since coming to this world, Zane had never felt such an urge to destroy someone.
Blue and red elemental energy formed in his palms. Unlike the earlier chaotic explosion, this time the fire and lightning elements were stable and dense.
Left lightning. Right fire.
A fist-sized black orb floated beside him, circling intimately.
The elemental energy pulsed—fire like molten lava, electricity like a glowing white sphere of light.
His hands came together. The orb of light and the lava merged without conflict, fusing seamlessly.
The fusion shrank as Zane crossed his hands in an X, slowly drawing them inward.
At the same time, shards of ice appeared in the air, casting brilliant reflections and obscuring others' vision.
A deep blue light condensed rapidly, forming a corridor of ice ahead of him.
"Interweave. Fuse. Mimic the core."
He opened his hands, revealing a small glowing orb, no larger than half a fist, and slid it into the icy corridor.
Zane didn't know how much Ether energy he had poured into the conversion—only that he'd pushed himself to the limit.
He was even feeling a bit drained.
So much so that he had to tap into the Cretan Hollow's reserve.
Funny enough, he had that guy to thank.
He'd been toying with the idea of combining fire and lightning elements for a while, but hadn't sorted it out.
Today gave him the chance to test it.
To turn theory into practice.
"Hey, what's that glowing blur over there? What's he doing?"
"No clue... but I've got a bad feeling. I'm out. That's enough excitement for today."
"Tch... why is it suddenly so cold...?"
Jane stared at the glowing blur with a sinking feeling in her gut. Her ears twitched as she took a step back.
"Let me see your power..."
As the red-blue orb of energy entered the ice corridor, the crystals began to shine.
Cold air stabilized the orb as it drifted beyond Zane's control and propelled it forward.
Energy built up. Its initial speed increased—and the moment it exited the corridor, it launched like a bullet.
The tiny orb, small and almost unnoticeable, streaked through a shop, across the street, and past crowds of people.
It brushed by someone, who instinctively sensed the immense energy inside it. His expression changed in an instant.
It was Deck.
He had come down, concerned by Zane's message and hoping to mediate—but the moment he saw where the orb was headed, his face went pale.
"Wait—that's where the latest stockpile of high-concentration Ether explosives is stored!"
Unfortunately, hardly anyone heard him.
At the end of the orb's path, the fleeing curved sword raider suddenly felt death creeping up behind him.
He turned in terror. Reflected in his black helmet—
Was a small, glowing sphere.
And in the next moment, the two collided.