The palm that struck out looked human—normal-sized, delicate, almost fragile. But compared to the enormous opponent before it, the hand seemed almost like a baby reaching up to block the fist of a grown man. And yet, strangely, it was not the gatekeeper who had taken the blow.
The butler—who moments ago had broken through the state known as "absolute stance"—was overloaded with raw, violent energy tearing through his body. That power, unable to remain contained, suddenly erupted outward like a storm. Had it been left unchecked, the sheer pressure could have easily obliterated half of Ravenshade City in a single devastating blast.
Because of this, the gatekeeper had no choice. He had to abandon everything else, including supporting Ethan and the others. He was forced to immediately reform his "absolute stance," suppress the raging energy inside the butler, and hold it long enough for the burst to slowly settle. One mistake, and an entire city would vanish.
Meanwhile, the gatekeeper stared at the battlefield with regret twisting across his face. The strange invader—this alien warrior they faced—was far stronger than they ever expected. When he saw the bearded master get punched across the field and vanish from sight, his life uncertain, the gatekeeper slapped his own thigh hard.
If he had known the enemy was this powerful, he would never have pushed the situation so far.
He also saw the Lord of Ravenshade, a proud warrior, unleash his strongest technique—"Equal Confrontation," a technique that forces opponents into close combat, the style he excelled in. For a moment, it seemed like a perfect plan.
But even that failed.
The lord was defeated almost instantly.
The gatekeeper felt his heart sink. He opened his mouth to call out to Ethan and order a retreat—but then froze.
Wait.
Why… is Ethan even here!?
His eyes widened. A horrible realization struck him like ice water poured down his spine.
"Oh no… oh no, something terrible is about to happen!"
If those two new recruits died again—if the organization lost them once more—then how were they supposed to find replacements? How could he possibly face the organization's leaders? How could anyone endure their fury?
This was a disaster.
And the worst part?
He brought it on himself.
He should never have tried long-range combat with a monster like this alien. It was a foolish choice from the start.
But right when the situation reached the brink of despair, a dark shadow stepped into view. A figure landed silently in front of the butler, blocking the enemy's advance.
It was a young man, but his appearance was anything but ordinary.
His body was wrapped in tight, pitch-black armor, as if grown from his own skin. A horned, helmet-like structure covered his head, and behind him swayed a long tail tipped with a sharp, needle-like stinger. His face was handsome enough to resemble a model, but his eyes glowed blood red, brimming with raw violence and cold tyranny.
The butler blinked in surprise. Someone had intercepted his attack.
But his mind, clouded by the rampaging energy inside him, was too irrational to process the meaning. He simply roared and threw another enormous punch toward the young stranger.
But the boy's fist moved first.
In an instant, unimaginable pain burst through the butler's skull. He looked down and saw a horrifying sight—there was now a bloody hole where part of his hand used to be. His middle and index fingers had been completely shattered, and even the bone ridge between them had vanished.
The pain was blinding, almost unbearable.
But the butler, stubborn as ever, refused to acknowledge defeat. Growling, he pulled back and prepared to punch again.
This time, something black flickered in front of his face.
A shadow.
A blur.
A slice of death.
Before he could even lift his arm—
His entire shoulder was severed clean off.
Pat.
His detached arm hit the ground with a soft, sickening sound.
A wave of pain like he had never felt before crashed over him. But along with the pain came something worse—an overwhelming fear. The butler gasped as his mind snapped back to full clarity.
Who was this young man?
Why had he interfered?
And how was he strong enough to dismantle him in seconds?
Then he finally noticed the truth.
The shadow that had sliced his arm was the boy's tail.
A chilling thought struck him:
This wasn't a normal teenager.
This was a summoned creature.
No—something even stranger.
Because the aura he felt radiating from the creature was only equivalent to a diamond-level summoned beast. And yet its strength… its pressure… its killing intent…
Even an epic-level beast couldn't compare.
He had seen griffons, dragons, and monstrous invokers, but none had ever made him tremble like this.
The butler stumbled backward, trying to regenerate his ruined limbs. Flesh writhed, blood clotting instantly—but the injuries refused to heal. Normally, his severed fingers or limbs regrew in seconds, but now they remained stubbornly broken.
Only the burning pain reminded him it was real.
A terrifying truth dawned on him:
If he could not heal, he would be disabled for life.
To him, that was worse than death.
Then he heard a sound.
The boy—the black-armored monster—was rushing toward him again.
Sweat exploded across the butler's back.
If this thing touched him again, his existence would end.
In pure desperation, he unleashed a defensive technique. A storm of black mist surged around him, swallowing him whole. When the boy's tail stabbed forward—
The butler vanished into the smoke.
He fled.
The Lord of Ravenshade, watching the scene with blood dripping across his face, cursed aloud.
"Damn it! That bastard was pretending to be half-human this whole time!"
Just moments ago, his eyes had been closed in agony and exhaustion. But when warm blood hit his cheek, he opened them—only to see the boy shatter the butler's fist and slice off his arm in one smooth attack.
He knew how hard that fist was. He had taken thousands of blows from it. Even his diamond-grade axe couldn't chip it.
But this boy crushed it with one punch?
Impossible.
And yet… it happened.
In the end, the butler was forced to abandon his disguise, reveal his hybrid form, and flee in terror. After fighting the Lord of Ravenshade for so long without revealing anything, he was forced to show his true nature because of this young man.
That alone proved his fear.
The lord struggled to his feet, preparing to offer his gratitude.
But then he heard Ethan's voice behind him:
"Bone Boy, stop chasing. Come back."
Instantly, the black-armored creature froze—and obediently walked back to Ethan's side like a loyal guardian.
The Lord of Ravenshade's face twisted in confusion.
What… what was this thing?
Why did it obey Ethan so easily?
Who exactly was Ethan?
The mystery only grew deeper.
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