Chapter 27: Totally Outclassed

Liam stepped forward, eager to test the capabilities of the weapon in his hands, Storm-Edge. He raised the sword skyward, and clouds gathered across vast distances, darkening as lightning sparked within their depths.

“Oh shit, the sword’s doing all that?” Sarah asked, staring at the gathering storm.

“It’s his power as well,” Amir replied.

A bolt of lightning crashed down in an instant toward the Houndkeeper, but the creature blitzed to the side, dodging the strike that sent dust and debris flying. Another bolt attempted to strike, but again the Houndkeeper dodged. The pattern continued as each lightning bolt seemed to home in on the creature’s position, yet it managed to evade them all.

At the first opening, the Houndkeeper dove straight toward Liam at a ridiculously fast pace, bringing its spear down in a vicious arc. But it met equal force as Liam’s lightning-coated blade swung upward, parrying the attack and stopping it cold.

With his free left hand, Liam simultaneously shot a large burst of ice just after the parry, catching the enemy in a freezing attack that locked the Houndkeeper completely in stasis.

[Contract Borrowing —> Lazark’s Ice Manipulation]

The execution was swift; so quick that the Houndkeeper had no time to react. However, visible cracks began appearing across the ice prison within seconds. The fissures deepened as Liam stepped back, and moments later the entire ice structure shattered under the weight of the Houndkeeper’s energy.

The creature roared in fury and leaped upward, creating significant distance between itself and Liam. As it ascended, It made its spear spin in its right palm before pulling back and hurling the weapon downward. The spear, now wreathed in blue flames, traveled with such force that it shattered every glass window in the surrounding buildings.

Liam stepped aside and caught the projectile mid-air with his left hand. The impact was brutal as the sheer impact tore his sleeve to shreds and burned his arm. Despite planting his feet and bulging his muscles to resist, he was driven backward, his heels carving deep craters in the ground as the spear’s momentum pushed him back.

Eventually, Liam quelled the force behind the spear, his arm’s muscle mass visibly increased from the active use of the skill, Muscle Boost. With a sharp pivot, Liam made a full-body turn, a grin spreading across his face as he hurled the spear back at double its original speed and power.

The tip grazed past the Houndkeeper’s cheek before disappearing from sight and into the sky. The Houndkeeper’s eyes widened in shock. Had that attack connected, there would have been no way to dodge or block it. The spear had sailed past, leaving the creature entirely helpless.

“Next time, I won’t miss,” Liam said, with this devious look on his face.

Following up his threat, Liam stepped back and released a concentrated burst of lightning energy from his sword toward the Houndkeeper, who had landed on the ground. The attack’s range was massive and its speed overwhelming. Unable to avoid it, the creature took a defensive stance, releasing blue flames from its hands to counter the lightning. But the flames were immediately overwhelmed by the sword’s magic power output, especially at the hands of one who unlocked its full potential.

The lightning attack engulfed the Houndkeeper completely, sending it crashing backward in a violent explosion that generated shockwaves as an aftereffect. When the dust settled, the creature staggered slowly to its feet, clearly stunned.

“And he goes on to make a mess of a Houndkeeper,” Elaine observed from behind. Sarah wore an uneasy smile as the reality sank in. “Damn,” she muttered.

Liam began walking toward the recovering monster.

[“There won’t be any use if I kill you here.”]

Liam said, then extended his hand toward the Houndkeeper, who was now on one knee. [“Join my army.”]

…

Meanwhile, Ray Hooks had changed into fresh clothes. His dark, tousled hair fell naturally across his forehead in an effortlessly messy style. He wore his signature sunglasses along with a dark, well-fitted button-down shirt open at the collar, revealing a delicate chain necklace. Dark trousers and a sleek black leather belt with a gold buckle completed the look, along with an elegant gold watch on his wrist.

He was in a different suite, not far from Serafina’s, accompanied by the B-tier visor from their nighttime ambush of the Netherlights van and another visor entirely; the same two who had been with him when the USOV arrested him in Jaime Lewis.

Ray was about to leave the room when the B-tier visor—a regular-looking guy with fair skin and brown hair, wearing a red short-sleeved shirt and dark pants, spoke up. “The Boss said no one should leave.”

Ray turned around and walked slowly toward the B-tier without a word, grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground with his right arm. The visor struggled, placing both hands on Ray’s wrist as he tried to pry himself free, his legs shaking helplessly. “The Boss doesn’t need to hear about this, right?” Ray said, his expression stern and deadly serious.

The other lower-ranked visor in the room was too terrified to speak and could only watch. The one in Ray’s grip nodded frantically in agreement.

“Good,” Ray said, before flinging him onto the bed and leaving the room.

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