Read Novel Full Chapter 663: Thirteen of You..No One Is Leaving
Chapter 663: Thirteen of You..No One Is Leaving
It was an extremely ordinary black longsword with no insignia, no decoration, and not even the slightest trace of powerful mana on its surface.
However, the instant the blade completely left its sheath, the ambient sounds of the forest became unnaturally faint.
The rustling leaves, the distant tremors of battle, the chirping insects, and the wind passing through the canopy were all suppressed until the movements of those within the domain became almost impossible to detect from outside.
The only sound that remained where Breathing, Boots striking against the earth, Voices, impacts, and clashing weapons.
The smile on Gabriel’s face slowly faded.
The sounds had not disappeared.
The man’s domain was suppressing the ambient noise of the Sacred Forest and concealing movement within its range.
For the first time, the silver-masked captain walked forward. With every step that shortened the distance between them, the pressure in the surroundings grew more intense, while the ten active operatives retreated almost simultaneously to give them enough space
“Gabriel Reyes.”
The man’s voice had been altered by the mask, making it impossible to determine his age.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“A lot of people say that.”
“You’re going to ruin things that were already arranged.”
“That sounds like your problem.”
The silver-masked man fell silent.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
There was no visible afterimage, and the suppression domain almost completely swallowed the sound of his footsteps and the faint fluctuations produced by his movement.
Gabriel’s pupils contracted slightly.
Clang!
Sparks exploded as the black longsword appeared before him, barely blocked by Crimson Judgement.
The silver-masked man twisted his wrist, causing the blade to slide down the side of the greatsword. Gabriel immediately retreated, but a razor-thin line of blood still appeared across his abdomen.
The next second, the captain vanished again.
Gabriel turned and swung toward his left instinctively, slicing through empty air.
A chill came from the right.
Gabriel reacted immediately, bringing Crimson Judgement across his body just as the black sword came toward him.
Clang!
The blade was knocked aside, but rather than following through with another sword strike, Gabriel stepped forward and drove his fist toward the silver-masked man’s chest. His opponent raised his palm at almost the same moment.
Bang!
Their strength collided head-on, causing the ground beneath them to cave inward as a wave of force spread through the surrounding trees. The silver-masked man was forced back four steps before stabilizing himself, while Gabriel remained grounded.
“Not bad strength,” Gabriel said.
The silver-masked man lowered his gaze toward his palm. Although the movement was slight, Gabriel could clearly see his fingers trembling.
“Same to you.”
“What level are you?”
The man gave no response, and after waiting for only a moment, Gabriel tightened his grip around Crimson Judgement.
“Forget it. I’ll find out after I break enough bones to keep you from running.”
The instant those words were spoken, his figure blurred among the trees.
For the first time since their confrontation began, the silver-masked man’s expression changed. What Gabriel had just displayed was completely different from his previous speed, and after watching him disappear and reappear several times, the captain quickly realized that it was not conventional high-speed movement.
Gabriel’s figure appeared three consecutive times among the shadows of the trees, each one occupying a completely different position. There was no natural connection between their trajectories, making it almost impossible to determine where the real attack would come from.
Devil Mirage.
It was the top-tier physical fighting technique of the Elven Kingdom that Edgar had personally taught him. It relied upon precise footwork, controlled breathing, deceptive shifts in balance, and feints fast enough to leave overlapping afterimages in the observer’s vision. It was not a mana spell, and the captain’s suppression domain could not dispel it.
In an ordinary environment, Gabriel still would not have been able to display everything the technique was capable of, but the Sacred Forest was different. Trees, shadows, uneven earth, and tangled roots surrounded them from every direction, giving Devil Mirage almost everything it needed to become a technique designed specifically for hunting.
The silver-masked man immediately turned, his gaze sweeping across the approaching figures.
The first was a feint.
So was the second.
The third!
His attention snapped toward the final figure, and the black sword thrust backward without hesitation.
Pfft!
The blade pierced straight through Gabriel’s body but there was no blood.
Before the silver-masked man could withdraw his sword, the afterimage around the blade distorted and dispersed.
‘Another feint..’The captain’s pupils contracted, but before he could search for Gabriel again, a voice came from above him.
“Wrong one.”
He jerked his head upward and saw Crimson Judgement already descending.
Boom!
The ground within dozens of meters collapsed beneath the impact, sending earth, stones, and splintered deadwood flying through the air. Gabriel had deliberately shifted the trajectory away from the largest living roots, but several nearby infiltrators were still forced backward by the shock wave.
At the center of the spreading dust cloud, one figure remained.
The silver-masked man was down on one knee with his black sword held horizontally above his head, blocked the attack.
Gabriel looked down at him while gripping Crimson Judgement with both hands. The ground beneath the captain had completely shattered, and although his sword had stopped the greatsword from reaching him, the violent trembling running through both arms showed how much strength he was using just to maintain that position.
Gabriel pressed down harder.
Crack…
A thin fracture appeared across the black sword.
The silver-masked man abruptly raised his head, and for the first time, the gray eyes behind that expressionless mask lost their previous calm.
Gabriel noticed the change immediately.
“Hero rank,” he said with a smile. “That’s it?”
Boom!
Blood-red mana erupted from his body and poured into Crimson Judgement as another surge of carefully directed force descended through the blade. The captain was driven into the shattered ground, the impact numbing both of his arms without crushin his body.
“Captain!”
The ten active operatives immediately prepared to intervene, but before the closest of them could move, a faint rustling sound came from deeper within the forest.