What is going on? How can a scrawny kid like him be this strong?

Wallace’s eyes widened uncontrollably from shock.

Earlier...

He had forced himself to stay calm.

He kept brushing away the uncomfortable feeling growing inside him using his years of experience as reassurance.

But after watching Ezra casually destroy his earth spikes and kill multiple of his men without even breaking a sweat...

The confidence Wallace built through years of bloodshed suddenly started cracking apart.

’He looks weaker than you.’

The words he proudly told Zara earlier inside the gang hideout suddenly resurfaced inside his mind.

"This bullshit..."

He gritted his teeth hard.

Boom!

Ezra landed onto the frozen street while his dull black eyes calmly locked onto Wallace.

And strangely...

Wallace flinched.

Just slightly.

But he still did.

I’m... scared? No... no... no...

Impossible.

I’m Wallace.

A Binder-rank Alchemist.

How can I possibly feel fear toward some little brat?!

"ATTACK HIM YOU BASTARDS!"

Wallace suddenly roared loudly toward the remaining men who had already started instinctively stepping backward from Ezra.

"AHHHHH!!!"

The remaining five men forced themselves forward.

Three rushed with blades in hand while the other two raised Kalthoff Repeaters.

The instant they aimed...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets immediately flew toward Ezra while another man simultaneously pulled out a stick grenade and threw it toward him.

But...

Ezra sharply turned.

His expensive black coat swayed behind him while he calmly raised the Desert Eagle in his left hand with only four bullets remaining in its magazine.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The handgun roared violently.

Every incoming bullet got intercepted midair while the stick grenade exploded instantly after being struck accurately.

BOOM!!

The explosion blasted fire and smoke outward like fireworks while violent air pressure swept through the frozen street.

The five rushing men instinctively paused for a brief second from the pressure alone.

Then without waiting for the men to recover...

Ezra moved again with smooth speed.

He turned back toward Wallace and blocked the incoming blade slash using the Desert Eagle itself.

Clang!!

Metal collided violently.

And within that exact close-range standoff...

Ezra calmly raised the Desert Eagle in his right hand.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five shots rang out almost together.

This time...

He was actually looking at them while firing.

Blood exploded instantly from the heads of the five men behind him.

One after another...

Their bodies dropped lifelessly into the snow.

Wallace’s pupils shrank.

"You’re quite an expensive killer."

Ezra spoke calmly while Wallace pressed harder against the handgun blocking his blade.

Wallace immediately moved the same blade toward Ezra’s neck...

But Ezra had already aimed his handgun toward the incoming attack.

Bang!

The bullet slammed directly into Wallace’s blade.

The force violently pushed the weapon backward while vibrations traveled through Wallace’s entire arm.

His fingers almost loosened from the impact.

Wallace quickly jumped backward afterward while blocking the remaining shots desperately until...

Click.

The Desert Eagle emptied.

And silence briefly filled the street again.

Wallace stood there panting heavily.

His arms felt numb from repeatedly blocking the raw force coming from Ezra’s handgun, while Ezra simply stared at him with the same plain expression.

"Kalthoff Repeaters."

Ezra glanced toward the faint fog floating above the street.

"Joint Earth Alchemy, Stick grenades and even a noise-cancelation device."

His eyes slowly returned toward Wallace.

"How did you know about the noise-cancelation device?!"

Wallace shouted while tightening his grip around both blades.

"And what the hell is that gun?! I’ve never seen a revolver with that kind of power in my life!"

"Does that matter..."

Ezra calmly tilted his head slightly.

"...for someone who is about to die?"

"THISSSSS BRAT!!!"

Wallace roared furiously with Cognis exploding violently out from his body.

"I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

Boom!!

He flashed forward instantly.

The frozen ground beneath him cracked apart from the speed of his movement before his blades violently slashed downward toward Ezra.

***

On the rooftop to the right side...

Back to the moment Lucy jumped there...

"Kill this bitch!"

One of the gang members shouted while pointing toward her.

The instant the man raised his arrow...

Shing!

Lucy’s Stiletto instantly flew through the air and pierced directly into his head.

Before the second man could even react...

Lucy flicked her sleeve.

A rain of daggers instantly shot outward toward him, stabbing the man to death.

Boom!

Lucy landed smoothly onto the rooftop.

The moment her feet touched the surface...

She immediately pulled the Stiletto back out from the dead man’s skull and turned toward the second target.

"AHHH!"

The man stumbled backward in horror.

This entire situation already felt absurd to him.

The ambush failed with the targets escaping the surprise attack.

And now...

The supposed prey was overpowering them instead.

Not only were Ezra and Lucy calm under attack...

Their combat strength completely surpassed what Wallace’s group expected.

"Ho..."

Slash!

Lucy cleanly sliced through the man’s throat with an expressionless face.

Blood sprayed outward violently.

The man desperately grabbed his neck while shaking like a slaughtered chicken before finally collapsing off the rooftop entirely.

Lucy quietly exhaled afterward, then she turned toward Ezra’s direction and saw him effortlessly killing more enemies below.

I should probably go support my Master now...

Clang!!

A heavy blade attack suddenly slammed against her Stiletto.

Sparks exploded across the rooftop.

"You aren’t going anywhere, bitch!"

Betty rushed toward Lucy aggressively while launching continuous slashes at high speed.

Left slash.

Right slash.

Upward slash.

Downward slash.

Her attacks flowed one after another rapidly, but Lucy matched every movement calmly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

She blocked some attacks, then evaded others and countered smoothly at times.

"You really are one slippery bitch."

Betty flipped backward, creating distance while Lucy also stepped back slightly.

Then...

Both women simultaneously threw weapons toward each other.

Lucy threw daggers.

Betty threw needles.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

The weapons collided midair before scattering toward different directions.

"Tsk."

Betty clicked her tongue while exhaling.

"You’re pretty good for someone your age."

She slowly walked in circles while Lucy silently watched her.

"As expected of a maid from a Duke family."

"So, you already know we belong to an important family like that..."

Lucy finally spoke. Her voice sounded noticeably colder now.

"...yet you still decided to attack us?"

"Well, your Master has a huge bag on his head, so what else should we do?"

Betty smiled mockingly while dragging one blade slowly across her cheek.

"And baby girl...You really think the Duke family cares whether some useless boy dies?"

"He isn’t even a Mainline nor even a Highline child, he’s just a useless Lowline brat whose own family wants him dead because he has no value."

She purposely smiled more provocatively after saying those words to anger Lucy more.

Lucy’s grip around her stilettos tightened slightly.

"Well..."

Betty’s grin widened perversely.

"Even if he’s useless...his face is honestly cute enough that I kinda want him."

Her eyes slowly narrowed dangerously.

"So, after I beat you half to death...I’ll make sure Wallace doesn’t kill your Master immediately. Then I’ll violate him right in front of yo..."

Boom!!

A dagger instantly flew past Betty’s face so closely it nearly sliced off her ear.

"Eh..."

Betty froze slightly looking at Lucy, who stood there fully expressionless, but the pressure coming from her changed completely.

"Did I strike a nerve?"

Betty suddenly laughed loudly.

Boom!!

Lucy instantly flashed forward.

Cognis surged through her legs as she attacked at terrifying speed.

"Come then, bitch!"

Betty spun both blades rapidly while Cognis also surged through her body.

The two girls clashed violently across the rooftop.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!

Every collision blasted sparks into the night.

The rooftop itself began cracking apart beneath their movements while pieces of wood and stone continuously broke apart around them.

The building beneath them was actually a shopping complex filled with small stores on different floors.

And now...

The rooftop above it was getting destroyed by the battle.

The fight intensified continuously.

But slowly...

Betty began realizing something terrifying.

Lucy’s movements were changing.

No...

Not changing exactly, but flowing.

Every step connected naturally into another attack or defense, every block became a counterattack and every dodge smoothly transitioned into movement.

It almost looked like Lucy was dancing rather than fighting.

A deadly dance beneath the moonlight.

Betty couldn’t fully understand what she was seeing, but one thing became obvious...

Lucy wasn’t losing control from anger.

Instead...

She was becoming stronger because of it.

Slowly and painfully.

Cuts started appearing all across Betty’s body.

Her arms, her stomach, her thighs and her shoulders.

Blood continuously dripped onto the rooftop floor.

Betty gritted her teeth before suddenly launching a double slash from both sides.

But...

Lucy spun beautifully within close range.

Clang!!

She blocked both attacks simultaneously.

And in the exact same moment...

Thrust!

Both Stilettos pierced directly toward Betty’s body.

One stabbed her stomach, the other pierced near her chest.

Luckily...

Betty desperately leaped backward before the weapons could fully sink deeper into her organs.

"DAMN IT!"

Betty breathed heavily now.

Blood flowed down faster from her forehead, chest, arms, stomach, and legs.

"What the hell is happening...?"

She quickly glanced around hoping Wallace or the others could support her.

But...

"No... no way..."

Her eyes widened completely from terror.

Bodies littered the street below and Wallace himself was struggling.

Then...

She slowly turned back.

Lucy stood quietly beneath the moonlight while Cognis softly flowed around her body.

One Stiletto pointed upward, the other downward.

Grey glowing circuit lines slowly lit up along both weapons.

The circuits Rogers personally aligned for her glowed beautifully beneath the moonlight.

"Ahhh..."

Betty stared blankly at Lucy.

And before her brain could even react...

Lucy vanished...

And was already standing behind her, with faint grey lightning softly flickering across Betty’s neck.

An X-shaped cut slowly appeared.

Betty’s head slid off her shoulders.

Thud.

Lucy quietly exhaled while blood dripped from both Stilettos, then she frowned slightly after noticing the blood stains splashed across her maid outfit.

"I dirtied the clothes the Master bought for me..."

She frowned while staring at the splashes of blood staining parts of her dress. The fresh red marks stood out clearly against the cloth beneath the moonlight.

Then...

Lucy turned her head toward where Ezra and Wallace’s battle was already reaching its end.

Down below, the frozen street had almost completely broken apart.

Ezra continuously weaved through Wallace’s attacks with calm movements while blocking the incoming blade slashes using the Desert Eagles themselves.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks burst repeatedly each time metal collided.

At the same time...

Sharp earth spikes continuously burst from the ground toward Ezra from different angles, forcing him to move across the destroyed street without pause.

Wallace’s frustration kept growing more obvious.

His breathing had become rough.

Sweat mixed with blood dripped down his face while the veins near his neck tightened violently.

Why won’t this brat die?!

Clap!

Wallace suddenly slammed both palms together.

A violent surge of Cognis exploded out from his body and rushed heavily into his arms.

"I, WALLACE, AM NOT GOING TO LOSE TO A BRAT LIKE YOU!"

His furious roar echoed across the snowy buildings.

"I’m sure Betty should already be done taking care of your maid, so all I have to do is kill you and everything ends here!"

The brown alchemy circle beneath him expanded larger.

"And after this..."

A twisted grin slowly appeared on his face.

"...I’ll make that prideful dumbass brother of yours pay even more gold coins for killing you!"

Boom!!

He slammed both palms onto the ground.

The frozen street instantly shook violently.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The earth beneath Ezra split apart rapidly.

"LET’S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE A MEISTER-RANK ALCHEMY!!"

Blood suddenly poured heavily from Wallace’s nose, eyes, and mouth from forcing out too much Cognis beyond his level.

Boom!!

Ten massive smooth earth spikes burst out from the ground like giant stretching vines rushing toward Ezra.

The attack covered almost every possible escape path.

The spikes tore through the street while snow and broken stone exploded upward around them.

Ezra calmly watched the incoming attack, then he placed both Desert Eagles back into his space bag and immediately pulled out the Barrett M107.

The massive sniper rifle appeared in his hands with a heavy metallic shine beneath the moonlight.

Ezra dropped into a kneeling shooting position smoothly.

His breathing slowed while his eyes looked through the scope.

And the entire battlefield instantly changed inside his vision.

The rushing earth spikes, the small openings between them and the tiny spaces even enhanced eyesight would struggle to properly catch...

Ezra saw all of it clearly through the scope.

Thank the scholars that he used that noise-cancelling device.

Otherwise, there’s no way I could test this sniper and its added circuits without attracting half the city with the sound alone.

Even with the silencer I added...

This thing is still ridiculous.

A faint smile appeared on Ezra’s face.

I should honestly thank you, Mr. Assassin.

You’ll become my first test subject.

Cognis immediately flowed through Ezra’s body.

From his stars.

To his veins.

Toward his arms.

And finally...

Into the Barrett M107 itself.

The flow of energy rapidly spread through the sniper internally.

The thin circuit lines Rogers helped create instantly lit up one after another with Cognis moving perfectly through every thin aligned path.

The Barrett M107 slowly glowed with white steam-like lines.

Then...

Ezra pulled the trigger.

The Cognis flowing through the circuits latched onto the bullet like an additional explosive force pushing it forward.

BANG!!!

Even with the silencer...

The shot still sounded terrifying, but thank fully the sound didn’t escape the area because of the noise-cancelation device.

The bullet blasted out from the sniper like a beam of light.

Boom!! Boom!!

The incoming earth spikes exploded apart instantly.

The bullet tore through Wallace’s Meister-rank Alchemy without slowing down even slightly.

Wallace’s head exploded apart.

Blood and broken fragments scattered violently into the snowy air.

Everything happened so fast it almost looked unreal.

The silencer attached to the Barrett glowed slightly red afterward from the heat and pressure generated by the shot.

Violent wind exploded outward across the street.

Boom!!

Several damaged buildings ahead partially collapsed from the sheer pressure wave released by the sniper shot.

Snow blasted into the air like smoke.

Even Ezra himself got pushed backward from the recoil.

The force traveled violently through his shoulder and arms.

His boots scraped hard against the frozen ground as he forcefully stopped himself from falling.

Screeeech...

The stone beneath his shoes cracked apart from the friction.

Smoke slowly flowed upward from the Barrett M107.

Ezra quietly stared at it.

"That was amazing power..."

His dull eyes reflected the lingering white smoke escaping from the muzzle, then he glanced toward the massive destruction left behind.

A huge hole stretched through the damaged buildings ahead.

"...Although I might need to relax on the circuit usage."

The output was honestly absurd.

At that moment...

Lucy jumped down from the rooftop.

Her eyes briefly widened after witnessing the sniper’s destructive force, but she quickly controlled her expression again.

"Master..."

She pointed toward the pocket watch showing the time.

"...the event."

"Yeah."

Ezra calmly stood back up while placing the Barrett away.

"Let’s go."

The two immediately started running toward the Hall where the unveiling party had already begun.

As Ezra moved across the rooftops...

He glanced once more toward the destroyed street behind him.

Collapsed walls, broken stone and dead bodies buried beneath snow.

"...I hope these damages don’t cause problems for me, after all this."

He sighed quietly.

While both him and Lucy jumped across the short rooftops under the snowy night, rapidly heading toward their destination.