The force of the clash still lingered in my arms as I steadied myself, my footing sliding back across the plaza before I came to a stop, and when I lifted my gaze again, I saw the shift immediately.

The silver glow around his sword didn’t fade.

It spread.

From the blade, it crawled outward, wrapping around his arm, then his shoulders, and within a breath it covered his entire body, a controlled aura that pulsed with each step he took forward. He didn’t rush this time. His eyes moved once toward the two bodies lying broken behind him, then returned to me.

"You’re going to pay for that."

His voice was low and threatening. Then he moved. His sword came up and slashed once.

Then again. Then a third time.

Each swing released multiple compressed blades of wind and energy that tore through the air in overlapping paths, cutting straight toward me in rapid succession. The space between us filled instantly, the attacks stacking on top of each other with no gap to slip through.

I stepped forward and used my axe to defend.

The first blade met it....deflected.

Second....cut apart.

Third....shattered on contact.

I kept moving, my arms adjusting with each impact, the rhythm tightening as more followed behind them, each one faster than the last. The metal rang with every contact, the yellow glow flaring along the edge as I carved through them one after another.

But there were too many.

One slipped past.

Then another.

A sharp line cut across my arm.

Another across my chest.

One tore into my leg, forcing a slight shift in my stance as blood followed immediately.

But I could not stop. The last of the blades broke apart under my strike, the space clearing just enough and I moved. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Impact Burst."

The surge shot through my legs, ignoring the pain as my body launched forward, closing the distance instantly. The last man standing beside him hadn’t moved yet, his sword raised but his timing off.

My knee drove straight into his chest. The impact lifted him off the ground and sent him flying backward, his body crashing hard against the stone as he hit and went still.

But I didn’t get the follow-through. The level fifty was already there. He shifted to the side, then his body shot forward, faster than before, the silver aura tightening around him as he closed the gap in an instant. His sword came straight for me, a direct thrust aimed to pierce through.

I brought my axe up to meet it but before the blades connected.

The light changed. From the tip of his sword, a condensed beam of silver energy launched forward, faster than the thrust itself, a compressed strike that broke through the space between us before I could fully adjust.

It pierced straight through my left shoulder. The force punched cleanly through, tearing past bone and muscle before exiting, the impact snapping my body slightly off balance as pain flared instantly.

Then the blade arrived. I forced my axe up just in time.

The collision slammed into me, the weight behind it pushing through as my footing broke completely this time, my body thrown backward as I skidded across the ground, blood trailing from my shoulder as I rolled once and forced myself back up.

The pain was sharp. But I stayed standing.

He didn’t pause. His gaze flicked briefly to the man I had just struck down, his expression tightening as he saw him unmoving, then returned to me, the silver aura around him flaring stronger for a moment.

I could see he was angry. This time he raised his sword high.

The glow around his body began to shift, pulling inward, condensing, gathering along the blade as the aura thinned from his body and concentrated at a single point. The weapon began to hum, the air around it distorting as the energy built rapidly.

Then he swung.

"Silver Severance."

The silver arc tore toward me, heavy and compressed, carving a path through the ground as it closed the distance, the pressure behind it far greater than anything he had used before. The air around it distorted, the force dragging dust and debris along its path as it came straight for me.

I exhaled once.

"Berserk Mode."

The shift hit instantly, the surge flooding through my body, strength and speed spiking again as the pain dulled, pushed aside under the pressure of the energy rushing through me. My grip tightened around the axe as the heat along its blade intensified.

"Radiant Slash."

My axe moved in a clean arc.

The energy surged forward immediately, fire and radiant force mixing into a single roaring blade that tore through the air toward his attack, brighter, and faster than before. The moment the two collided, a burst of energy flashed out.

BOOM!

His silver arc broke first.

The radiant blade cut through it cleanly, splitting it apart as the energy scattered outward, unable to withstand the force driving forward. My attack didn’t slow.

It kept going. His eyes widened and he tried to move but was too slow. The blade reached him in the next instant and tore straight through his body, the force carrying through completely as it bisected him cleanly, the silver glow around him shattering along with it.

The energy burst past him and crashed into the structure behind, exploding through stone and wood as the aftermath rippled outward.

[Level Up!]

[Level 48 → 50]

[Combat Points +400]

[Congratulations on killing the leader of the Believer Safe Zone – City of Seum]

[The city is available to acquire]

[Influence Points +300]

[Acquire City of Seum?]

"Yes."

The response triggered instantly. The space in front of me rippled, distorting slightly as energy gathered into a single point before forming into a solid object. A token appeared, hovering at eye level, its surface marked clearly with the name of the city - Seum.

I reached forward and took it.

The moment my hand closed around it, the system responded.

[City of Seum Acquired]

[Influence Points +1000]

A pulse spread outward from the center of the plaza, visible even to the naked eye as a wave of energy surged through the city. The air shifted, and then a shield rose, golden in color, expanding outward until it covered the entire city, sealing it under my control.

I opened the map. The red marking over Seum was gone.

Replaced by Gold.

Around it, the three safe zones I had taken earlier were also marked the same way, all connected now under one network.

Another notification appeared.

[Class Upgrade Available]

[Proceed?]

"Ohh... an upgrade. Ye—"

I paused mid-sentence as a new notification pushed over it.

[Olivia Rium has accepted your friend request]

I blinked once.

"Olivia...?"

The name didn’t register immediately.

Then I tilted my head slightly, thinking back.

"I don’t remember sending a request to anyone named Olivia..." I muttered quietly, my eyes narrowing a little as I brought up the communication panel again.