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    Jack furiously swung his gigantic magic hammer, which he was able to materialize through wearing all of his distinct magical rings. This was a special magic item he hadmissioned to a very talented alchemist and crafter of magical tools in this city, and it took him a year and a half to get done. It contained incredible might, and the hammer had the power of various elements, capable of unleashing lightning, storming winds, fire, ice, and even the might of earth through deadly earthquakes. Anybody that has received a direct hit from it hasn''t lived to tell the tale, dying squished like a pancake.


    CLAAASH!


    However…


    "Huh?"


    Shade intercepted the hammer with a single ck dagger he took out from its sheath, unleashing arge quantity of darkness reminiscent of a ck fog covering his weapon. A small dagger blocking a giant hammer… the mere thought of it waspletely insane and out of ce for Jack. But it was simply a thing ofmon sense for Shade, a man who didn''t looked like it, but whose Physique had reached Tier 10… Despite his specialization in shy movements, his strength waspletely in another level still.


    "T-This is… impossible! How can you withstand my hammer with that tiny body of yours?!" Asked Jack in shock. It was a thing of logic after all, why would a titan lose in strength against a small figure like Shade? But the thing came to the quality of a physique.


    Shade might look smaller, but his entire body was ripped beyond belief, each inch of his muscles had been refined constantly, bing near iparably strong. Each muscle was tight yet flexible, umtingrge quantities of mass was inefficient as his fighting style required him to move quickly from one ce to another. Based in weight alone, he was lighter than Jack, but Shade''s body was a nest for Mana, by a mere thought, his body suddenly turned as heavy as a gigantic boulder.


    "What sort… of technique did you use?!" Asked Jack.


    "Technique? Yeah, I guess I used to use techniques…" Said Shade.


    His body had evolve to the point that techniques that temporarily enhanced the body''s weight, power, and speed were simply part of his own body, and emerged as a reaction against a threat. His own body adapted to the threat of an enormous weight swinging his way, and he merely increased his weight to withstand it. And about defense and endurance? He already had it.


    "T-This is ridiculous…! You''re just a tiny man in front of a titan such as me! This doesn''t make sense!!! RAAAAAAH!!!"


    Jack desperately roared, unleashing countless attacks using his hammer against Shade! His hammer suddenly gained the element of fire and wind, unleashing a fiery st with each hit, it was as if a gigantic explosion was generated with each hit of his hammer!


    BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!


    The explosions made the enormous underground chamber tremble, cracks emerging in the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling, as the hits made gigantic earthquakes. The thugs were all cornering themselves out of fear, although they were also cheering for their boss.


    "You''re doing it boss, pulverize him!"


    "Kill him!"


    "Beat him!"


    "GAHAHAHA! I bet your friend is a pile of mushy flesh now!" Jack stopped his barrage of attacks, as An noticed he was quite tired, gasping for air. Using this technique both drained his physical strength and magical power a lot.


    However, when he took off his hammer from Shade, he quickly realized the young-looking man remained there…pletely unfazed. Indeed, he wasn''t even scratched, there were no wounds on his body. Jack''s eyes feltpletely filled with disbelief… He had never met a true monster before, calling demons and beast-kin as monsters… was aplete mistake.


    He finally meet a true monster.


    "Despite how young I look; I am a few years older than you." Said Shade. "When your Physique reaches Tier 8 onwards, you stop aging and even begin to look younger… Apparently, my lifespan was increased by several hundred years."


    "W-Wha… T-Tier… 8?!" Asked Jack.


    "No, my Physique is Tier 10." Said Shade.


    "G-GAH…!" Jack couldn''t help but groan in shock!


    For some reason, he believed Shadepletely! After seeing him withstand his hammer attacks, he was already being quickly brought outside of left field, he was going nuts by simply thinking about something so small-sized being able to withstand his hits! He even began to think he might be dreaming or something.


    But no, this wasn''t a dream, and Shade was indeed a true monster.


    "Haha,e on, don''t y with him so much." Said An while carefreelyughing a bit.


    "Hm, true… I should finish him quickly. Silently, and without saying another word, that''s why I was raised as an assassin… You and everyone else has made me too much of a talker." Sighed Shade.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    FLASH!


    In a split of a second, Shade disappeared.


    "Eh?!"


    No matter how enhanced jack''s senses were, he couldn''t find Shade anywhere! He tried to follow his speed, but it was impossible, it was merely a ck blur moving around, unpredictable!


    FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!


    "Ggrrr…! D-DON''T FUCK WITH MEEEE!" Jack roared, frustrated about everything, he enhanced his body with all the power and mana he had, and swung his hammer around him, spinning like a tornado!


    FLUOOOOSSSHHH!!!


    An enormous explosion of magical power erupted like a volcano, as Jack attempted to catch Shade within it!


    However!


    "Parry."


    SLASH!


    Jack suddenly felt something sharp piercing another thing made of metal, his own hammer. He suddenly lost all his momentum, falling to his knees into the floor. When he looked at his own weapon, he suddenly realized it had a long line going all the way towards his arms. The line was also going through both of his arms… for a split of a second, he was too confused, and felt no pain to notice.


    But the second after, his hammer was sliced in half, and his arms… cut off.


    BOOM!


    "N-Ngh…! AAGGGGHHH…!"


    Jack cried in agony, as rivers of blood came out of his muscr shoulders, his entire arms were sliced off cleanly! And all of this was merely provoked by Shade parrying his attack…


    "W-What… what are you…?!" Cried Jack, gritting his teeth, his eyes filled with utter horror!


    "I am a father." Sighed Shade. "And I am tired, let''s get this done with."


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