The situation was dire. The compacted soil rose and fell like a hail of hard boulders from the air. Nolan immediately drew his jet-black sword, a dark blade with white engravings along the edge, and channeled mana throughout his body. His body rose, floating in the air.
He swung the sword.
Eclipse Cleave unleashed a flurry of black aura. A crescent-shaped arc of black aura cut through the air, striking the rain of rocks and shattering dozens of solid boulders before they could fall any further.
On the ground, Selena didn't stand still. She fired a volley of water balls at the remaining rocks. More than ten boulders shattered upon impact, sending up a spray of water that shook the air around Nolan.
Selena then formed a large water ball in midair. It shattered into a foothold, allowing Julian to leap swiftly upward. Mana flowed rapidly through his palms, propelling his body upward as he took advantage of the water platform that continued to form and collapse beneath his feet.
Nolan dodged to the side, creating an opening for the attack.
Julian appeared directly in front of the gravity wielder and swung his fist, which was enveloped in a reddish glow.
"Titan Punch!"
But—
—the punch was stopped in its tracks.
The red-haired man blocked Julian's attack with just one hand. The layered gravity aura around his arm pulsed, compressing the red glow until it vibrated unsteadily.
"Huh?" The man laughed evilly. "What kind of punch is this?"
The gravitational pressure intensified, far surpassing the power of the Titan Punch. Nolan immediately recognized the danger.
"Selena, water ball!" he shouted.
Without hesitating, Selena threw a water ball directly between Julian and his opponent. The ball exploded when the gravitational force hit it, softening the blow before it could fully reach Julian.
Julian was pushed back but not completely knocked to the ground. He landed heavily on the snowy ground, his knees buckling slightly.
Selena continued firing water balls. Each attack ended the same way, though. The gravity wielder simply grabbed the air, and the gravitational force crushed the water ball, causing it to shatter and fall helplessly downward.
"You're brave enough to fight me, but..."
The gravity wielder grinned and raised his hand, pointing at Jason, who was standing behind Selena. Jason hadn't done anything in the battle to begin with.
"...I've already targeted someone I want revenge on."
Before Nolan could move to attack, a gravitational wave slammed into his body, sending him flying backward. However, he managed to maintain his balance and remain suspended in the air. At the same time, he felt a much stronger gravitational force concentrated entirely on Jason.
"Really!" Jason shouted in panic. "I've already sacrificed my men; there's no way I'm going to die here!"
He struggled to his feet on the slippery, snowy ground, resisting the gravitational pull with all his strength. Cunningly, however, he leaped to the side and pushed Selena away with a mana-imbued punch.
Selena's body was pulled downward by gravity and shot straight up toward Nolan.
"Bastard! Coward!" Selena screamed and cursed as her body was pulled forcefully.
Meanwhile, Jason threw a small, circular, silver board to the ground. A violet-blue light flashed, and in an instant, Jason disappeared, escaping with the help of a magical artifact: the Disc Portal, which can teleport up to a kilometer.
"I don't care," the gravity wielder said with a lopsided smile. His hand, shrouded in a red aura, stretched out. "Anything in my path will be destroyed. And that little lamb... I will chase it to the ends of the earth."
Nolan stomped his feet and leaped as high as he could, catching Selena's waist before she could be dragged any further. He spun in midair, but the gravity wielder caught his sword with his mana-shrouded wrist.
"Brat," the man said with a chuckle. "I can sense your dark mana. That's interesting."
He looked at Nolan mockingly. "A Sequence 2 Sentinel Master dares to fight me, a Sequence 7 Sentinel Ultimate? You're truly entertaining."
Blades clashed. Nolan couldn't hurt his opponent; the level difference was too great. Furthermore, he was supporting Selena with his left hand while holding the suspended sword with his right.
"Disgusting man," Selena cursed.
She extended her hand, making a gun-like motion. A glob of water condensed into a bullet and shot directly at the man's face. Although the attack wasn't powerful, such a close-range attack was shocking.
This created an opening.
Nolan immediately leaped backward, letting Selena fall. Julian moved swiftly and caught the short-haired girl safely.
However, the gravity wielder's gaze turned cold. Anger radiated from his face.
This time, his full attention was focused on Nolan.
The gravitational pressure struck again, brutally. Nolan immediately enveloped his entire body in mana and leaped high into the air. His black sword glinted as he attacked with Eclipse Cleave. However, each crescent-shaped slash shattered and was crushed by the pressure of his opponent's gravitational aura.
Nolan's body flew upward as his opponent swung his leg, attempting a kick. The kick only grazed empty air, but the follow-up attack came without delay. The ground below heaved and compacted into hard rock, which shot toward Nolan.
Julian and Selena moved quickly. Their attacks shattered the rocks one by one, preventing them from hitting Nolan.
A chunk of earth the size of a car tire hurtled toward Nolan. Nolan swung his sword, splitting the rock into pieces. However, he didn't expect the next surprise attack.
"Brat!" the gravity wielder shouted.
Nolan reflexively raised his sword and blocked the blow imbued with a gravity aura. The impact caused the blade to vibrate violently and nearly slip from his grip.
"How long are you going to hold out, brat?" the man taunted, continuing to strike Nolan's sword. One heavy blow was followed by a kick from his left leg that struck from below.
The impact sent Nolan's sword flying. The next kick struck his stomach—hard and cruel, coated in a thick gravitational aura. Nolan's body slid down, slamming his back into the tree trunk and causing him to collapse to the ground.
Unconsciously, Nolan vomited blood. Pain shot through his chest, and several of his ribs were cracked.
"Nolan, catch this!" Selena shouted.
A Mana Energy Ball and a Healing Tube flew toward him. He caught them just in time.
"This musclehead and I will hold him off for a while," Selena continued in a strained voice.
Nolan no longer listened to the screams around him. He swallowed the mana energy ball while the healing tube in his hand ignited. He sat on the snowy ground, crossed his legs, and concentrated on healing his wounds, mainly with the energy from the Mana Energy Ball Vincent had given him earlier.
Actually, Nolan hadn't wanted to use the mana energy ball for a temporary power boost. He knew the side effects—the severe mana drain after a massive energy explosion.
"There's no time," Nolan muttered under his breath. "I'm thinking about defeating my opponent when I'm not even sure I can survive."
He looked up at Selena and Julian, who were still fighting. A dark mana aura flowed through his body—heavy, oppressive, and increasingly uncomfortable.
Despite his unstable condition and ongoing recovery, Nolan continued to watch Julian and Selena battle the gravity wielder.
Despite her reputation for being foul-mouthed and far from gentle, Selena demonstrated real intelligence. For the first time, Nolan saw the short-haired girl actually thinking during a battle instead of just reacting.
Nolan's memory drifted back to Vincent's words, which had sounded cruel but now felt right on target.
Back then, in the forest behind the Death God Guild castle, Vincent had glanced back, the corners of his lips quirking up.
"Selena, your brain is very useful. You're like a walking book of knowledge," he said casually. "But, strangely, in battle, your mind always gets stuck."
Those words—cruel, cold, and devoid of empathy—had a profound impact.
Now, Selena was no longer in a rush. Her control of Water Magic was much steadier. She continued firing water balls in a measured manner while Julian used a large one as a springboard for close-range attacks.
Julian was different, too. He was no longer attacking blindly and shouting aimlessly. For the first time, the young man fought with a cool head, though his face still showed irritation with each failed blow.
"Brats like you—a mere Sentinel Master—are nothing more than ants," the man roared angrily.
His entire body was enveloped in a gravitational aura. In the next instant, a gravitational wave exploded and spread in all directions.
Selena reacted quickly. She swung her hand and formed a large ball of water that enveloped her and Julian. The gravitational wave slammed into the barrier mercilessly. But the pressure was too great.
In less than five minutes, the water balloon burst.
Selena was pushed two meters to the ground, while Julian managed to regain his footing without falling. Still, they both instinctively clutched their chests; the pain from the gravitational pull hadn't completely subsided.
"Seriously, that bastard is too strong," Julian growled. "I don't even know his name yet."
"It's no use," the man said with a sly smile. "You'll die by my hands anyway. So, there's no need to bother."
This time, he unleashed a blood-red gravitational wave much larger than before, extending over a radius of five meters.
Nolan remained focused on his recovery. He held his ground, waiting for the right moment to move.
In front of him, Selena stretched out her arms again. She concentrated her Water Magic, forming a giant dome of water that enveloped them. A whirlpool spun violently at the top of the dome, resisting the pressure coming from outside.