The door to the rooftop opened with a kick.
A cold breeze greeted them as they stepped beyond the door.
They noticed a black barrier covering the outer walls of the building.
The barrier shimmered ominously under the faint starlight.
It was as if the association headquarters had been stuffed into a black container that was as large as it.
Only a little bit of empty space above the rooftop was present.
“They are planning to destroy the headquarters with us,” Neo said.
He stared at the dozens of shining magic circles in the air, their intricate patterns glowing brighter with every passing second.
“I guess they are worried since they don’t know if we have trump cards,” Jack answered.
Both of them gazed at the giant magic circle at the center.
It was growing larger and more complex with time.
The huge amount of Divine Energy gathering in the sky sent shivers down Jack’s spine.
A low hum filled the air, resonating deep within their bones.
Neo triggered Ocean’s Embrace and covered his body in Darkness.
The inky blackness enveloped him, merging seamlessly with the shadows around him.
Combined with Eternal’s resistance, this was the highest his defense had ever been.
“Hide in my shadow,” Neo told Jack, his voice calm but firm.
“I will help you block that attack. That thing looks nasty.”
“It’s fine,” Neo said. “I bet the Awakeners are waiting to attack us after this initial bombardment. I need you to deal with them with your summons. There is no need for you to waste your strength now.”
Jack nodded with difficulty.
Although he wanted to retort, Neo’s words were logical.
The hesitation in Jack’s eyes was fleeting as he activated Shadow Space Spell and vanished into Neo’s shadow.
The magic circles in the air started to combine, and an oppressive pressure erupted from them. The sky above churned with dark, roiling clouds, casting ominous shadows on the ground below. A ray of light shot down, splitting the gloom momentarily.
Neo covered his hand in Darkness and punched upwards.
The impact rippled through the air, the surrounding environment vibrating as if reality itself was being torn apart.
…
Outside the Spatial Barrier
Hundreds of awakeners hovered in the air around the spatially sealed Association headquarters.
The area was surrounded by a faint, shimmering dome, its surface rippling like disturbed water.
They couldn’t see what was happening inside, but the weight of the battle within pressed against their senses.
Ares, Emma, and Athena stood at the front of the group of awakeners.
The air was thick with tension as the cold wind rustling their cloaks while they stared intently at the barrier.
“Armageddon won’t be enough,” Emma said, her voice edged with concern. “Together with Jack and him, they can block that attack.”
Ares nodded, his gaze fixed on the flickering barrier.
Armageddon was the Association’s strongest attack technique.
However, it was still in the developmental stages.
He never expected it to be enough to defeat Neo and Jack outright.
“They will be wounded badly. That’s more than enough,” Ares said.
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of scorched earth.
Using Armageddon for a B-rank and an A+ rank awakener was excessive, but Ares would rather be overprepared than underprepared.
The spatial barrier started to crack, emitting a high-pitched whine.
Bright sparks flew out as fractures spread like veins across its surface.
“Get ready!” Ares raised his voice, cutting through the anxious silence. “Both of them will be injured! Attack them as soon as the spatial barrier breaks!”
The barrier shattered with a deafening boom, unable to contain the force of Armageddon.
Dust and debris swirled in the chaotic aftermath.
However, instead of the explosion of shining light they expected, pitch-black Darkness spewed out from within the spatial barrier.
‘They overpowered Armageddon?’ Ares was alarmed.
“Attack!”
Hundreds of awakeners unleashed their abilities into the encroaching Darkness.
Blazing fireballs, piercing wind blades, and radiant beams of light shot forth, illuminating the battlefield.
Nothing they did stopped the spewing blackness.
The Darkness surged like a living entity, swallowing their attacks whole.
It flowed outward and enveloped the awakeners, leaving many immobilized in its wake.
Ares and the others blinked—
“What?” Emma muttered, her voice trembling.
They had been standing under the blazing Sunshine, but the moment the Darkness touched them, it turned into night.
The sky above was blanketed in an unnatural void and the stars were completely obscured.
She turned around and saw the awakeners writhing on the ground, clutching their heads in agony.
Faint, dissonant whispers echoed in Emma’s mind, sending chills down her spine.
“Voices of Darkness…”
Her expression stiffened as she tried to comprehend how Neo had turned day into night and how he was attacking them mentally.
Something was wrong. Neo wasn’t supposed to be this strong.
Emma could feel her strength draining away, and her limbs growing heavier.
Just then, Athena completed a short chant.
A soft, ethereal light radiated from her, dispelling the oppressive whispers.
The pain assailing everyone’s minds dimmed, replaced by a fragile clarity.
The light bathed the awakeners, lifting them from their despair.
Saved, their vigilance peaked.
Their eyes turned toward the Association headquarters.
The Darkness covering the building slowly began to dissipate, revealing frozen remnants of their attacks suspended in mid-air.
It was as if Time itself had been halted.
And there, atop the rooftop, stood Neo, perfectly unharmed.
“…!?”
The awakeners felt chills crawl up their spines.
He ignored their stares, his blood-red eyes locking onto Athena.
His gaze briefly shifted toward the cube in her hands before settling on Ares.
“Why did you attack us?” Neo asked.
“You know it better than yourself,” Ares replied, unwavering. His tone carried the confidence of someone certain of victory.
“I guess I do.”
Neo’s gaze swept over the hundreds of awakeners now protected by Athena’s holy light. freewēbnoveℓ.com
The ethereal glow shielded them from the lingering effects of his Tremor-ranked spell, [Black Dawn of Despair].
“Neo Hargraves, I will ask you one last time,” Ares said, his commanding tone cutting through the tense air. “Are you sure you want to rescue the Child of Mana?”
His gaze remained firm, unshaken by the power Neo had displayed.
Neo shook his head.
“Ares, I will give you two choices instead,” Neo said. “Withdraw from here and let me rescue the Child of Mana, or…. face the consequences.”
No one heeded his warning.
Some of the Awakeners at the backlines chuckled.
Neo’s first attack had taken them by surprise, but they believed it was his trump card and he had nothing else left.
The reports about Neo had been certainly surprising.
But they were just that. Surprising. He wasn’t invincible like Zeus not did he had Apollo’s limitless talent.
Neo massaged the back of his neck with one hand, his fingers brushing against a slight bruise.
“Sigh, I wanted to end this without a bloodbath.”
Suddenly, the relaxed atmosphere around Neo vanished as if had been an illusion.
His gaze grew cold, sharp like the edge of a blade.
He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
‘Obitus…..’
The rings of Death elementals around his heart hummed, faintly visible like ghostly chains.
‘Remove the debuff.’
Neo decided to let loose for the first time in months.
An overwhelming amount of malevolent aura exploded out from him, cascading over the battlefield like a tsunami.
Power coursed through his limbs and the shackles weighing him down disappeared.
Neo felt liberated.
His presence filled the area, surging like a stormy sea.
The sparse trees nearby groaned, their branches snapping under the invisible pressure.
The Awakeners were pushed back, their bodies stiffening as a cold, paralyzing fear gripped them.
‘Shit! He was hiding his strength until now!’
Emma bolted towards Neo, her boots crunching against shattered stones.
Her heart pounded as she moved, her breaths visible in the sudden chill that engulfed the battlefield.
She had never seen Neo radiate such venomous pressure.
It was enough to make her shiver.
Just as she was about to attack him, Jack emerged from Neo’s shadow like a specter.
His presence was silent and lethal, his body strengthened by Neo’s Tremor ranked Spell Black Dawn Of Despair.
A bone armor covered his hand, and he punched Emma, sending her crashing into a crumbling wall.
“You…!” Emma spat, her glare like daggers.
Ares, Athena and Emma released their auras, their energies twisting the air around them into a violent maelstrom.
The space shook.
Dust and debris rose into the air, and cracks splintered across the ground as they tried to overwhelm Neo’s pressure.
But.
It was useless.
Continue your journey at empire
Neo stood firm.
Their auras did nothing to him.
The realization of Neo’s true strength gave them an unprecedented shock.
Neo raised his hand slightly.
The motion was calm yet it carried a dreadful weight.
He used half of the second ring surrounding his heart.
Red lightning flickered around his hand and tongue.
He grabbed something in the air, as if he was holding an apple.
Ares, Emma, and the others felt ‘something’ touch their hearts.
It wasn’t just fear—it was tangible, a heavy, suffocating grip that clawed at their very essence.
The red lightning covering Neo started to move wildly.
Neo opened his mouth and….
“Die.”
He crushed the invisible object in his hand.
The sound of snapping echoed unnaturally loud across the battlefield.
Ares and Emma felt their hearts squeeze.
Their chests tightened as if a vice was closing in on them.
Death.
It had gripped their hearts.
The oppressive force was undeniable.
Beads of sweat rolled down their backs and unimaginable pain assaulted them.
They flooded their mana into their veins, their bodies glowing faintly as they struggled to resist the attack.
