Free Web NovelChapter 28: Saga 28— Sweet..... Sweet PAYBACK! II
"Unique ability: Quitax Barrier." Kael stretched forth a hand—light purple mana seeped out from his palm and spread around him and Sylvia, forming a miniature dome.
When Paul came crashing down, the impact of the attack only affected their surroundings; the barrier didn’t even flinch. When Paul got angry and unleashed a devastating blast from his palm, the barrier remained intact. The blast parted into two the moment it came into contact with the barrier, scorching and destroying the earth around them.
When the blast dissipated, Kael threw Paul off the barrier, and he fell onto the ground.
Back to the present—Paul was literally about to shit his pants. He placed both hands on his head and began to act irrationally, as though he had actually lost his mind.
His eyeballs spiralled around uncontrollably, his teeth chattered rapidly, and sweat started to drip from his scalp.
"I’m finished. They asked me to return that artifact after I use... no, screw that. If I don’t return with the artifact, I’m as good as dead. Even if I complete the mission they gave me, they’ll still kill me." Paul yammered, his broken voice twisting and quivering. He was absolutely terrified of whoever had sent him on this mission.
Kael watched him with an awkward look.
’Who’s they?... This guy must be completely out of his mind.’
[The host has received 10,000 EXP.]
[The host has received an additional 30,000 EXP from consuming the Mythical Biological Artifact: the Heart of Ouroboros.]
[The host has leveled up ×15.]
[LvL 60 > 75]
[The host has ranked up ×2.]
[Rank C > A]
[The host has gained the special ability: Absorption.]
[The host has acquired the Supreme Ability: Indomitable Vitality.]
[The host has acquired the Supreme Ability: Black Hole.]
"Listen, I suggest you surrender and give out all the information you have regarding... ehhh, what did you call them again?" He stroked his chin.
"You have no idea whom or what you are dealing with. They transcend the realm of mortality. They will destroy everything and everyone you hold dear in a fleeting second." Paul’s voice carried a profound sense of fear, not reverence.
This made it obvious to Kael that whoever or whatever was looming in the shadows brought nothing but trouble and disaster.
Then again...
’Not my problem.’
He wasn’t a hero, nor was he a villain. He couldn’t care less if this world burnt down.
"I don’t care who or what they are... But when they choose to go after the things or people I hold dear—"
Kael’s mana erupted violently. The ground beneath his feet cracked.
"Then I won’t hesitate to ensure that not even a memory of them remains on this plane of existence."
This wasn’t a warning—it was a bloody threat directed at whoever was pulling the strings in the shadows.
He had already lost his mother, and from that point onward, he vowed he wouldn’t lose anybody else.
"I never thought such words would come out of the mouth of the likes of you." Sylvia’s voice echoed.
She waltzed out from a blue-coloured gateway. Her voice sounded less cold than usual.
"Told you I trusted him!" Yuki placed a hand across Kael’s neck.
Kael was stunned for a second.
’Why are you smiling? Weren’t you beaten and battered a second ago?’
These were his exact thoughts at the moment.
Everything felt surreal—or rather, they had completely caught him off guard.
"What’s with the look? Okay, okay, it was my idea." Claire waltzed out of the gateway. She had already given way to a guilty conscience.
Kael was dumbfounded. At the moment, whoever had created this land was the least of his problems.
"Though it was a little extreme, the results were flawlessly worth it." Harriden strode out of the gateway with both hands in his pockets.
Kael turned to Sylvia.
"What the heck is going on?"
His eyes certainly weren’t playing tricks on him. He had seen them getting their asses kicked by Paul, and now they were all somehow okay.
That’s when it hit Kael.
His gaze drifted toward the Sylvia he had laid on the floor. She was dissolving into a shadow.
That alone made things a lot clearer.
"I asked Claire to come up with a plan to see if we could trust you or not." Sylvia’s gaze met Kael’s. This time, Kael could feel that her eyes were warmer, devoid of any and all hostility.
Immediately after the battle began, all the Azure Blake members switched places with shadow copies of themselves that didn’t even possess up to twenty percent of their strength, yet they could easily pass as the originals. Kael didn’t notice due to his mind being preoccupied at the time.
They watched Kael’s actions from afar to see if he would run and abandon them or stay and fight the good fight.
Sylvia was very conflicted about whether she should trust Kael or not, and this was the perfect opportunity to find out.
When Kael teleported to the oak tree, she immediately wrote it off as him abandoning them.
"Just as I thought... He ran!" Sylvia hissed loudly in disappointment.
"Nah... I don’t think so." Yuki had other thoughts.
"Look! His back!" Claire called their attention back when Kael reappeared in front of Sylvia’s double.
They had actually thought he was way over his head, believing he could stop Paul’s attack.
But the main thing that shook Sylvia’s heart was the fact that he was ready to risk his life for her.
That alone made him pass the test.
Stopping Paul’s attack was merely an added bonus.
’Now that I think about it... These guys are S-Rank. They shouldn’t have gone down that easily.’
Kael actually thought back and realised the difference in strength wasn’t adding up.
While they were talking, Paul had made up his mind.
"If I can’t go back, then there’s only one thing left for me to do—"
His voice carried immense anger. He clutched his fists tightly. He had steeled his resolve and was ready to do what was necessary.
"...is to take you all down with me!"
The stored mana he had left from the Heart of Ouroboros exploded, pouring violently from his body. He was ready to use every single drop of mana he had left—a suicidal act.
"GRAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Paul had completely lost it.
His body grew larger in size, his skin turned crimson red, and his eyes rolled wildly.
The next instant, he lunged at the nearest targets—Yuki and Kael.
"Not this time, big guy!" Harriden snapped his wrist.
Shadow chains erupted from Paul’s shadow and tightly bound him in place.
He froze, unable to move a single muscle.
"You had your fun. Now it’s our turn." Yuki cracked his neck.
— End of Chapter —
