The mining team had been excavating a crystal called Reant—a material so durable it formed the foundation of both weapons and armor.
That explained why breaking it was so difficult—and why it was all the more deadly when hundreds of Reant shards came hurtling toward you.
Kaizek narrowed his eyes. Everything seemed to slow down around him as he watched a storm of shards advance, each aimed to slice him into pieces.
If I don't move from here, not even the Mark of God could save me, the thought crossed his mind—but he ignored it.
Crouching low, he launched forward. His speed was staggering, blurring him into a streak of motion.
"I can't track him…" Laila muttered, helpless, as Kaizek became one with the wind, weaving seamlessly through the airborne shards toward William.
Emma stayed composed. If she saw him intending to kill William, she would intervene—but for now, her eyes remained fixed on his movements.
Kaizek's true challenge was closing the distance to the monster, which levitated surrounded by debris and boulders, hands crossed on his chest, casually observing his approach.
This is frustrating, the man thought as a massive Reant shard hurtled toward its head.
It tilted its head slightly and let the shard phase harmlessly through space.
William hummed, a smirk tugging at his lips as Kaizek paused mid-stride. "Quite cocky," he said, sending another barrage of Reant chunks slicing through the air toward Kaizek's vitals.
Tracking each projectile as if they were fingers on a hand, Kaizek moved like a phantom. Nothing touched him. Every step, every tilt, every flick of his body had a purpose.
William's grin widened. "Nice, nice. Now dodge this one." He snapped his fingers, and the ground beneath Kaizek rumbled violently.
Without diverting his gaze from the incoming shards, Kaizek leapt—and in the next instant, jagged spikes erupted from the earth, chasing his movements.
"Fuck!" Natalie, who rarely cursed, couldn't hold it in. "How is he controlling all that at once?!"
Kaizek didn't have time to hear her or respond. The projectiles twisted mid-air, changing trajectory as he flipped, each one narrowly missing him.
Tch. He clicked his tongue and flipped in the air and started falling toward the twenty-foot-tall crystal barreling toward him. Its jagged tip aimed straight at his chest.
Finally, he released his aura. Aether swirled around his body, coalescing first along his arm, then his hand, until it converged at his outstretched index finger.
A massive concentration of aether pulsed at the tip.
When it struck the crystal—
THUMP
CRACK
A wave of energy rippled outward, the force of the collision sending shards flying in every direction.
William tilted his head, watching as cracks snaked across the crystal's surface.
And then—
BOOOOOM
It shattered. Thousands of shards erupted into the air, scattering like deadly rain.
"*Whistle* Nice one, old man," William said casually, hands shoved into his pockets. "But you lost your finger with that move, didn't you?"
Kaizek's index finger was indeed bent back in a grotesque angle, blackened and lifeless.
Then, without warning, the spell Emma had planted on his back sprang to life. Bones knitted themselves together, the blackened finger regaining its full vitality in an instant.
William chuckled, tilting his head toward the silver-haired girl sitting among the others. Her gaze never wavered from him.
"Betrayal for betrayal, I take it?" he asked, his voice carrying clearly to her despite their distance, almost as if it was a mental intrusion.
Emma said nothing, only meeting his stare with her own, eyes sharp and questioning.
William's frown deepened—not at her, but at a rat scuttling annoyingly toward him.
"Stop. Just stop."
With a mere thought, his mental command surged outward, sending shards of debris hurtling toward Kaizek, who was charging at him at full speed.
Rocks and debris flew at Kaizek from every direction, sharp shards slicing through the air like knives.
He ducked low, rolling under a massive boulder that slammed into the ground where he had been standing a heartbeat ago. Another chunk tore past his shoulder, leaving a shallow gash.
No time.
Kaizek leapt, twisting in mid-air, letting smaller stones glance off him.
A jagged piece slammed into his leg, knocking him to one knee. Pain flared—but the Mark of God on his back glowed, and the wound vanished instantly. Not a second lost.
He flipped forward, landing on his hands and feet, catlike, sliding between two massive rocks that crashed behind him. Shards bounced off the ground, rattling like rain, but none could touch him.
Kaizek's eyes narrowed. Each move had to count. He darted left, spun around a falling boulder, and dashed forward again, closing the distance to William with relentless speed.
The world seemed to slow, but only for him. Every debris, every stone, every fragment of Reant that tried to pierce him was anticipated—and evaded.
William's agitation flared. He pulled back his arm, psychic limbs surging toward Kaizek, aiming to ensnare him.
Kaizek didn't hesitate. With a sharp slash of his fingers, he reflected the aether with a violent burst, vanishing from one spot and appearing directly in front of William, hand extended.
William's eyes widened. He couldn't react in time.
TAP.
Right at his chest.
BA DUM.
William gasped, crimson flooding his eyes.
Kaizek's specialty wasn't just reading movements or sensing the structure of his enemies. He could block mana paths. And in that instant, he had shut down the vital node closest to William's heart—one of three that should never be touched unless facing an enemy you loathed beyond measure.
Why?
"AHHHHHHH!"
It bestows unimaginable pain on the person
°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.