"Erion!" Lucy shouted, rushing to his side to help him up from the floor.
However, Erion forced himself to stand, slapping her hand away. Blood dripped from the wound on his arm where Atticus had stabbed him, radiating intense pain.
Focusing, Erion channeled mana into his arm, which began to glow with a blue light as the wound healed at a rapid pace.
Erion possessed one of the most unique bloodlines in the human domain: Mana Control. Though it sounded simple, its implications were profound.
It wasn't just Aerokinesis—using one's will to control the mana in the atmosphere—but actual, direct control of mana.
While most individuals could control the mana within their bodies to a certain degree, Erion could manipulate it to an extraordinary extent, using it for a myriad of purposes, including manipulating the mana in the air.
Clenching his now-healed fist, Erion's body radiated a blue glow, brimming with intense power. He had just absorbed a significant amount of mana from his earlier spar, leaving him stronger than before.
"Erion…" Lucy's voice cut through his thoughts, her gothic appearance adding to the intensity of the situation. She didn't need to finish her sentence; her eyes said it all. She was asking what their next move should be.
The rest of the crew quickly gathered around Erion, awaiting his instructions.
Kellack grunted as he touched the deformed side of his face, feeling the broken bones and torn flesh. With a scowl, he pulled a small vial from his space ring and downed the healing potion in one swift motion.
The effects were immediate—his face began to heal at a visible pace, the skin and bone knitting back together until he looked as if he had never been injured.
The imposing woman and the bestial man both wore expressions twisted with rage, their muscles tense with the desire to tear Atticus apart, piece by piece. But they held themselves in check, waiting for Erion's command.
Erion's expression remained calm and calculating. He shifted his gaze from his crew to the red streak slicing through the hall, leaving a trail of dead bodies in its wake.
His eyes hardened, and his aura flared, causing the air around him to grow cold. For the first time in his life, Erion felt truly threatened. And it was by someone of a lower rank!
Erion had always been a calm person, but he was proud to the core. He didn't care much about worshiping the Zorvans or any of that nonsense. In fact, he despised the way the tiered families ruled. He had joined the Obsidian Order to change things for the better.
His bloodline had always made him superior to those of the same rank, giving him an edge in every battle. But this was different. This was the first time he had faced something so absurd, so terrifyingly powerful, and unexplainable.
"Form up. We're fighting together," Erion ordered, his voice cold and determined.
His crew moved immediately, falling into formation around him.
Kellack, the katana wielder with a bloodline that allowed him to release explosions from any part of his body, took the front, his deadened eyes locked on Atticus with intensity.
The bestial man, now fully transformed into a hulking creature with limbs as large as hammers, positioned himself to Kellack's right, the ground straining under his weight.
The imposing woman, her muscles bulging and brimming with power, stood to Kellack's left, her strength growing with every passing second as her emotions surged. Her bloodline enabled her to become more powerful depending on the intensity of her emotions.
At the back of the formation was Lucy, the gothic, petite girl with the bloodline ability that allowed her to sense the intentions and emotions of their opponent. Her dark eyes were fixed on Atticus, cold and calculating.
Erion himself who was the strongest of the group, positioned himself at the center of the formation.
His demeanor was icy, and two blue mana swords formed in his hands. His control over mana was exceptional—he could manipulate it to heal, enhance his speed and power, and create constructs with ease.
This time, they would not face Atticus individually; they would strike as one.
"Lucy, keep us informed," Erion commanded, his voice cold.
Lucy's eyes flashed white as she activated her empathetic link, feeling the overwhelming calmness and deadly intent emanating from Atticus.
"He's focused on killing… no hesitation. But he's not expecting us to attack together."
Erion nodded. "Kellack, go in first. The rest of us will follow. Distract him long enough for me to make contact."
Kellack grinned, his lifeless eyes blazing with renewed purpose. "Consider it done."
With a nod, the ground imploded as the team shot forward.
Atticus moved like a blur within the swarm of fighters, his exosuit morphing into deadly weapons as he cut down the remaining men in the hall with terrifying speed. Each strike was precise, each movement lethal. Blood sprayed across the walls, and the ground was drenched in crimson.
As soon as the alarm had sounded, Atticus hadn't wasted even a nanosecond. His mind worked with such intense speed that even he found it astonishing.
He quickly formulated his next course of action and immediately acted. Atticus had swept through every single room in the building, ensuring there were no survivors.
'Now I just have to finish up here before anyone in the outer section notices,' he thought coldly, but before he could act, an intense blast suddenly erupted from his right.
Kellack's body detonated in a series of controlled explosions, propelling him toward Atticus at blinding speed, blurring past other fighters around him.
"Katana Art: Explosive Tempest!"
His katana glowed with an azure light as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one fast enough to leave afterimages in the air.
But Atticus was faster. He dodged the first strike with ease, his body blurring as he sidestepped the next three. With a flick of his wrist, his sword morphed into a razor-sharp whip, lashing out at Kellack with impossible speed.
Kellack barely managed to deflect the blow, his katana vibrating from the impact. "Damn it, he's faster than I thought!" he hissed.
The bestial man charged in simultaneously, his massive fists slamming into the ground with enough force to send shockwaves through the floor. "You're dead meat!" he roared, swinging his colossal arm at Atticus.
Atticus leaped into the air, avoiding the crushing blow, and then plummeted downwards in the next second. His sword morphed back into a blade, slicing through the bestial man's arm in a single fluid motion.
"Ahhh!"
The creature howled in pain, but Atticus was already moving on, his sights set on the next target.