NOVPUBThe flames vanished, swallowed without a trace.
Asher clicked his tongue and retreated, creating more distance from the spreading darkness on the ground.
He tapped his fingers together, cycling through different elemental spells. Lightning, ice, wind—each one vanished the moment it touched the shadow.
Nothing worked.
Below, the black matter moved like thick oil, creeping in tendrils toward buildings, light posts, and signs.
One by one, they vanished into it.
Suddenly—slash!
strike came from his left. He turned, raising his barrier—
Crack!
The impact shattered his barrier and sent him flying through the air.
Asher stabilized mid-flight. Though he came out mostly unharmed thanks to his robe, it proved just how deadly those attacks really were.
Casting another spell, he released waves of energy that pulsed through the air like sonar.
Still no sign of Raven.
Not even a hint of movement in the dark ground below.
Pantheon laughed inside his head. (What did I tell you, brat? This is a whole different playing field. Even an assassin can corner you .)
Asher didn't answer. He knew his partner was just messing with him.
Still, it was the first time in a long while he faced someone this crafty, and hard to kill.
"You're getting slow." A whisper echoed behind him.
He swung his blade without looking. Sparks lit the air, just for a second.
Clang!
There—just for a split second—a shadow. A figure, flashed, then vanished into the darkness before he could even counter attack.
'Don't tell me… Is this a semi-domain?'
He looked around, noticing many people either running away or watching. It wasn't the same type of domain, but its power made the Yokai's version feel like child's play.
"If that's the case, let's see how powerful this dark thing really is." He unsummoned his sword and raised both hands.
A giant golden magic circle appeared in the sky.
Symbols spun rapidly, glowing with energy. He was done playing the part of a close-quarter fighter. Now it was time to show his magic.
However--
Before he could finish, Pantheon warned him to keep it smaller. It was too large and might cause problems later.
'I got it,'
Reluctantly, he shrank the circle but made it more focused. The symbols spun faster, tighter.
Then, he chanted, "Tempestas Levis."
Light beams poured down without pause. The darkness flinched, starting to dissolve like a shadow burned by the sun.
'Is it working?'
It looked like he had the advantage at first, but as soon as his attack ended, the darkness spreading from the spot grew again—erasing all his efforts.
"I see what you're doing," Raven's voice echoed, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
"Trying to erase my zone with light. Smart move—but the moment the light fades, darkness comes right back."
Raven wasn't finished yet. "But I'll admit, I was wrong. I really thought you were a close-range fighter, but that magic circle was high level. You've got terrifying talent and flexibility. Too bad you ended up facing someone like me."
Asher's eyes narrowed. If it weren't for the limit on how big he could make his attacks, he would have unleashed something much stronger, and destructive.
The problem was the location and the law. If too much damage happened or innocent people got hurt, he would get sued. Even the assassin was trying to keep the damage to a minimum.
Speaking of which, he wondered why no enforcers showed up yet—despite all the noise they were making.
It didn't make sense for an advanced civilization like this.
'Should I use my dragon form?' he wondered.
In that state, his fighting ability surged exponentially. With overload, he could even reach the very peak of S+—maybe even break through it.
But the damage he would cause would rise too. At that level, even a single punch could bring down buildings with its force if he missed.
Just as he was thinking, another wave of attacks rushed at him. He created another barrier, but this time it didn't break so easily.
"Do you really think attacking me the same way will work again?" Asher shook his head.
He already figured out the attack's nature and adjusted his spell to match.
Raven ignored the warning.
Attacks after attacks rushed in, hitting the barrier. The assassin aimed to overwhelm his opponent using sheer numbers
But as time dragged on, it became obvious—they were locked in a stalemate.
Neither could land a clean hit. Neither could break the other's defense.
That was until a sudden ripple spread through the black mist, followed by a shadow whip that snapped out, bypassing the barrier like it didn't exist.
Millimeters from his eyes, the dark whip tore through the air—but Asher vanished just before it reached him.
He reappeared above the battlefield, keeping just enough height to ready his next attack without getting caught off guard again.
"I can't hold back too much." He clenched his fist and activated Overload.
A surge of golden light burst from his body. Energy veins lit up across his skin, glowing and pulsing like lightning under flesh. His eyes turned also turned pure gold.
"Playtime's over."
Another magic circle formed above the air—but this time, it wasn't just one.
Ten layers stacked on top of each other, each glowing with a different elemental color, marked by a unique pattern. Energy rippled outward, bending the air around them.
But just before he could cast it, a suffocating pressure crashed down on him.
CRACK!
The magic circles shattered like glass under the crushing pressure.
For a split second, everything fell silent—a rainbow-like shockwave burst out from all the elements, rippling through the clouds.
Asher started to changed into his dragon form but stopped when Pantheon's voice held him back.
From above, a figure descended. A man whose skin looked like gel, translucent and shimmering. Inside, sparks of electricity flowed like blood through veins.
Asher tried to gauge the figure's strength, but it was like staring into a bottomless ocean—impossible to measure.
(Brat, don't do anything reckless. That being's at least (SS) rank. Even in dragon form, you won't stand a chance,) Pantheon warned.
It didn't need to warn him. Just one look was enough to deter Asher.
The figure focused on the black matter. With a single snapped of it's finger, a translucent, gel-like hand shot out, grabbing Raven and holding him like a helpless toy.
Another translucent hand shot toward Asher. He tried to teleport away, but the space around him was locked.
SWOOOOSH!
He pushed his speed higher, dodging the grasping hand again and again. But more formed out of nowhere, closing in from all sides.
The only move left was to transform—but Pantheon kept warning him not to.
"Stop resisting. I won't kill you," the figure said calmly.
Asher dodged another hand. "Hard to believe that with all these things surrounding me."
Out of nowhere the attack stop, allowing him to have some breather.
"You two made a mess in the city. You will come with me and explain yourselves."
Asher raised his hand, revealing his ID. "Guild Master Astra of Starfront sent me to protect a VIP client. That assassin attack me so I had no choice but to defend myself."
The figure turned toward the assassin.
"Aranis," Raven muttered aloud after recognizing who it was.
It belonged to the Plasmer race, a powerful alien species in the middle sector of the universe.
There were rumors that he joined the Truth Seekers side , but no one seen it with their own eyes—until this moment.
"To which faction do you pledge your loyalty?" Aranis asked.
Raven gritted his teeth. Lying now would be dangerous.
Worst case, he could be executed on the spot. Unlike Starfront, the Assassin's Guild had a bad reputation and even more enemies.
"I was hired by the Crimzahr family,"
Aranis raised his nonexistent brow, then shut his eyes.
Moments later, Draz and the rest of his group were lifted into the air, restrained by those same translucent hands.
They struggled, but it was useless—whatever held them wasn't something they could break even if they spent their entire life time.
"Tell me," Aranis flew closer "why did the Crimzahr family do this? Who gave you the courage to cause trouble in a neutral city which is under the protection of the Truth Seeker ?"
Draz lost all color in his face. He felt like the universe itself wanted him dead
First, an S Rank wrecked his plan. Now this.
At this rate, he wouldn't be surprised if an SSS Rank showed up just to finish the job.
"Sir—Lord—please," Draz stammered, his voice cracking under pressure. "May I speak with you in private? The one backing us… they wouldn't want their name exposed in public."
Aranis touched his chin, lost in thought. His glowing body stayed motionless, but the pressure stayed.
From the side, Asher kept his eyes locked on the scene. So far, Aranis did not show any hostility toward him after mentioning Starfront.
If anything, the way it handled things hinted at a neutral—or even slightly favorable—stance.
Still, questions lingered in his mind.
Who was backing the Crimzahr family?
Why was Starfront intervening?
And what exactly was the item that caused all of this ?
As he was lost in thought, a foggy barrier suddenly wrapped around both Draz and Aranis. It blocked all sight and sound, cutting them off completely.
'Better be ready. Whatever they're talking about behind that barrier could put me in serious trouble.'
(Brat, don't worry. I already deciphered the space locking mechanism. We can teleport anytime.)
'Thank you. For now, let's just watch and wait.'
