Mannick stretched his right hand, and the massive bloodred greatsword blown away from Kyran''s stomp flew back into his hand. He waved the greatsword to the side before heaving it up, resting its big hilt on his shoulder.


    "A dark armor with a ck panther mask, possessing monstrous strength. You are the culprit behind the Shaiha Ruins incident," Mannick said while eyeing the ''entity'' below them.


    The incident in the Shaiha Ruins was only known to a few higher officials of the Royal Army, including the Royal Family.


    Temr Code''s Commander, Tritus, submitted the report yesterday. When asked why he reported it only then when the incident happened weeks ago, he replied with:


    "It was my men who got killed in that incident. I have to investigate what happened myself and find the bastard who did this."


    It was clear how much Tritus loathed the perpetrator of the incident.


    From a single damaged surveince orb that the Temr Code found on the scene, it showed an image of a ''man'' in ck clothes wearing a ck panther mask, ruthlessly killing members of the Temr Code one after another.


    The army''s Deputy Marshals, Grand Marshal, the Emperor and the Crown Princess had seen the short footage, and two words that described what happened came to their minds after watching.


    One-sided massacre.


    Though they did not know how the panther-masked man killed Freya, Max and Reuben, the remaining members of their Elite Team sensed their demise. Ultimately, they could only attribute their deaths to the panther-masked man.


    Nevertheless, having the members of the Temr Code wiped out was not the most frustrating part of the incident.


    It was losing the rare stone''s source.


    Emperor Euan and the Crown Princess were frustrated.


    The emperor nned to return to the Royal Pce and organize another parliament meeting to discuss how to deal with the panther-masked man.


    At the moment, the emperor knew he had to deal with the matter differently. He could not dere another decree for another arrest when he had just decreed one for Gray a month ago.


    In any case, Mannick and Imman did not expect that the ''entity'' Princess Haylee had told them to detain was none other than the panther-masked man.


    Then again, recalling how she told Lira to call her father even after knowing he had his te full now made sense.


    [The Shaiha Ruins incident? So you did do something terrible while I was asleep! Was it when you absorbed the Shaiha? You''re giving me a heart attack! Heart Attack, I tell you!]


    Kyran ignored True Void''s using words. He did not even have a physical heart. What was heining about?


    "You... are you one of the outsiders?" Imman suddenly asked.


    Mannick frowned at his question, but instead of voicing his discontent, he brandished his bloodred greatsword and pointed it at Kyran.


    "Prepare to die!"


    Without waiting for Kyran to react, Mannick swung the greatsword downward at Kyran.


    Instead of trying to avoid the greatsword, Kyran stomped his feet and rushed toward it. He clenched his left fist, mustering his Draconic magic, before pulling his arm back to build momentum. His muscles bulged as heunched a punch toward the iing greatsword.


    Imman''s crimson eyes glowed while raising his right hand toward Kyran. A light gray-beige magic array appeared before him as two stoned hands emerged on the ground and grabbed Kyran''s arm to stop his punch.


    However, as soon as the stoned hands were inches from grabbing Kyran''s forearm, True Void manipted the shape-shifting tes on his leg. They expanded and rotated, shredding the stoned hands in an instant.


    CLANG!


    Kyran''s fist collided with Mannick''s greatsword, and the impact caused the ground beneath Kyran''s feet to crack and press down a few feet.


    The result of this sh sent Kyran''s mind reeling. Typically, any ordinary or even above-average magic weapon would get broken by the force of his fist with Draconic magic.


    However, Mannick''s greatsword was harder than Kyran anticipated. Even if he only used 5% of his strength, that percentage had been enough to break human bones and skulls— not to mention above-average magic items.


    Mannick''s green eyes glowed as the greatsword''s size increased. Simultaneously, the muscles on his arms bulged as he applied more force on the greatsword, forcing Kyran''s feet to sink into the ground a couple more inches.


    Before Kyran could push Mannick away, Imman spread his arms, and a light gray-beige magic array appeared on the small crater Kyran was standing on.


    [Be careful!]


    True Void warned while he manipted the shape-shifting tes on Kyran''s soles to assist him in pushing the greatsword away and freeing himself in the process.


    ''You''re overreacting,'' Kyran told True Void with a slight smile.


    While increasing the Draconic magic circting in his body, Kyran''s silver eyes also shed. He grabbed the greatsword''s de and mmed it on the ground.


    "Ngh!" Mannick was forced to let go of the greatsword to avoid getting mmed to the ground. Then he jumped back.


    However, he jumped back not because he wanted to avoid Kyran''s follow attack but because Imman had finished creating his magic array.


    "Stone spikes!" He shouted, and thick stone spikes shot out from the magic array on Kyran''s feet and pierced him.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    A cloud of dirt and smoke filled the air as the stone spike pierced and destroyed each other along with Kyran.


    "It''s not yet over!" Mannick warned Imman while he raised his hand and drew his greatsword back to him.


    From within the cloud of smoke, a ck blur jumped out and went toward Imman.


    It was, of course, Kyran who was unharmed by the stone spikes. His left arm was drawn back as a huge wed hand projection ovepped on his left arm.


    Kyran was poised to punch Imman.


    "Humph," Imman harumphed as several stoned hands emerged on the ground and tried to grab Kyran.


    Kyran evaded the iing hands, but because of this, it gave Imman time to retreat.


    "RAAAA!"


    Mannick swung his greatsword horizontally. A deep red glow shot out from its de and went straight in Kyran''s direction.


    RAWRGH!


    Suddenly, a st of ming green attack from a distance appeared behind Kyran, surprising him and Mannick.


    [ACK! This is a poison me attack! Don''t breathe! Retreat! Retreat at once!]


    The radius of the attack was too massive that Kyran and Mannick got swallowed by the st.


    "Mannick!" Imman shouted as he looked back at Mannick after sessfully dodging the attack.


    Everything the ming green attack hit burned, leaving a trail of green mes and a cloud of dark green smoke on the ground.


    RAWRGH!


    Imman noticed the shadow on his feet increasing in size and looked up.


    Above, a golden brown beast with a head of a human head, a lion''s body, and a scorpion''s tail descended.


    "That is—!" Imman gritted his teeth and escaped to the side as the beastnded on where he had just been standing. ''... the Manticore!''


    There was nothing ''baby'' about the beast before him! It was clearly a full-fledged adult Manticore that stood at least twenty meters!


    BAM!


    The ground shook as the beastnded.


    "Ngh!" Imman rolled on the ground from the aftershock of the beastnding.


    RAWRGH!


    The beast roared in anger as it spun its head toward the direction where Imman escaped in. Its long scorpion tail lifted as it pointed at Imman. A dark green magic array appeared on the tail''s tips, and several dark green spines shot out.


    Imman summoned several stone-made walls as he ran to the left to avoid the spines. The spot where the spines hit the wall eroded instantly.


    To think he had not noticed the Manticore''s presence.


    No, more importantly, Mannick and the ''entity'' also did not react to its arrival.


    It was not because they had not sensed it.


    It was because the Manticore''s aura was too strong and was spread out in such arge area they failed to pinpoint its exact location!


    The Manticore pulled back its head before stomping its front paws on the ground while opening its mouth wide.


    RAWRGH!


    As it roared, it breathed out another ming green poisonous attack while following Imman''s movement. Everything the green mes touched burned, leaving a trail behind Imman.


    "Tsk!" Imman spread his arms and summoned an eight-meter radius light gray-beige magic array just beneath his feet. From the center of the magic array, a stone head emerged, lifting Imman as more of its body appeared from it.


    Soon, a fifteen-meter tall stone golem emerged, and Imman stood at the top of its head.


    The moment the Manticore''s ming green breath stopped, Imman ordered the stone golem to stop in its tracks and attack.


    It then charged toward the Manticore with its hands sped together


    NGOOOAA!


    The stone golem made a hollow scream as it opened its mouth at the Manticore. Then it raised its fists and mmed the Manticore''s head.


    However, even before the stone golem could hit the Manticore, the Manticore''s tail swung and hit the golem''s torso.


    "Argh!" Imman jumped back just in time before the stone golem''s torso crumbled.


    While in midair, Imman spread his arms and summoned two massive magic arrays on each side of the Manticore and in a blink of an eye, a square boulder-like stone sprang within.


    But sensing the danger, the Manticore swiftly turned and mmed the tip of its poisonous tail on the magic arrays, instantly dissolving the stone boulders.


    ''Its Poison magic is too potent! My Stone magic could not keep up,'' Imman thought as he retreated further.


    He had been busy looking after himself that he was unsure of what had happened to Mannick and the ''entity.''


    But Imman was sure Mannick did not die from that surprise attack. He hated to admit it, but with Mannick''s almost perversive magic, even Gael would have trouble killing him.


    As for the ''entity,'' if he were the same one that massacred the Temr Code members, it would not go down easily.


    ''So... what happened to them? Where are they?''


    RAWRGH!


    Imman''s thoughts were interrupted by the Manticore''s angry roar. But he did not look back and instead focused on putting some distance from it first.