Emmett's weakness was his cowardice—he lacked the bold, domineering aura of a true leader. But that same flaw was also his strength: he was cautious to a fault. Unless he was absolutely certain of success, he would never make a move.Even when Ray stole the woman he had set his sights on, even when Ray ambushed him, the moment he realized his ultimate move couldn't touch Ray, he made a decisive choice—he fled.His plan was already forming. After joining forces with Rupert, he would cooperate with the Jayzepanese. Then he would make a comeback. Once Travis and Ray were dead, he and Rupert would split the spoils—each taking one of their abilities. Or better yet, he would seize both for himself.After all, he was a wind-type ability user. With explosive bursts of speed, even body-enhancement specialists of the same level would be left eating dust.It might look like bargaining with a tiger for its skin, but in truth, his chances of winning were high.When the time came, he would stan

Yet, Emmett's screams couldn't reach beyond the domain.Within this space, he could only make a sound if Ray allowed it.And obviously, Ray did not.Even though Gunnr and the others would find him soon, every extra second counted."Die," Ray muttered. A portion of Emmett's solidified body vanished in an instant—dismantled down to its cells.But Emmett didn't die.Should he be fully solidified first? After all, no matter how finely you tore the wind apart, would it die? Of course not.Ray concentrated, forcing Emmett's form into a complete body."No! No! No!" Emmett roared, a sound even he didn't know he could make, terror etched across his face. His body, however, continued its irreversible transformation into a solid form—hands, feet, torso, head.Boom!At that moment, Gunnr burst through the wall. Beastified, enormous wings spread behind him, a sword clenched in his hands. He swore viciously, eyes blazing with lethal intent, and swung. The blade's light seared the room.

Ray returned to the hotel, where Gunnr's wife and daughter were staying. He didn't hesitate. He struck hard, took what he wanted, and left without a trace. He didn't leave them a morsel of food. They were Jayzepanese—dead or alive, it made no difference to him.Compared to the atrocities the Fanghold had committed, Ray's methods seemed almost gentle.Of course, there was another reason he hadn't killed the two women: backup.If the need ever arose again, he could use them. Venting his wrath on these small fry? He could do it without hesitation, without a shred of mercy.But the priority was clear—eliminate Gunnr and Fanghold. Until they were wiped out, more people would suffer, more lives would be lost.First, he needed to digest the gains from this operation and tend to his wounds. His head throbbed relentlessly.…Before dawn, Ray returned to Zimtam Outpost.He went straight to Travis.Ray didn't hide anything. He recounted the night's events: chasing Emmett, infiltrating Fa

It was highly likely… Constantine had simply taken a few trusted lieutenants and fled.Traveling light, they could reach the nearby Armaou City within a day, spend the night there, and then move on to Vlachos City. After that? Anywhere in the country was within their reach.Ability users were barely affected by the cold anymore. Only the nighttime fog could disorient them. They wouldn't risk traveling at night—it would be far easier to get lost than to make progress. Better to rest and move during the day.Roxanne froze. Was Constantine really so spineless? And he hadn't even said a word!"That bastard played us," she seethed. "Using us to hold Fanghold while giving himself plenty of time to escape!"Travis was at a loss for words.Constantine, a supposed leader of men, had abandoned them at the crucial moment.What now? Could they still take on Fanghold?They probably could. Gunnr had grown stronger, but Ray had also absorbed Emmett's powers, keeping them on equal footing.So

The spatial portal showed no sign of deformation, and Ray only felt a brief sting of pain—nothing serious.The force was too weak.He accelerated the stone once more and dropped it.Another shock, another twinge. Still not enough force. Fine—he'd accelerate it twice, three times. Eventually, he'd find the right threshold.Sure enough, after accelerating the stone nine times, the strike finally caused the spatial portal to deform.It was a tiny deformation, but the damage to Ray was manageable. Ten minutes of rest, and he could continue.The deformation was minuscule—less than one percent of what Astrid's punch had done—but he didn't need to push himself that hard. If he broke the spatial portal, it would be catastrophic. Slow and steady wins the race.During the ten-minute break, Ray got creative.He accelerated the supersonic steel rods and stones again.How to accelerate them further? Air resistance always capped their speed. Previously, it hadn't been feasible, but now he