the woman said, frowning as her tone hardened.
"Oh? And what if I refuse?"
Shaun Cole asked with a smile.
As his words fell, the woman's hands began tracing patterns in the air. Lines of light appeared, rapidly forming a glowing sigil.
Watching this miraculous scene, Shaun Cole folded his arms and continued smiling calmly.
Two seconds later, the sigil was complete.
The woman thrust both hands forward.
The air rippled violently. Shaun Cole saw the surroundings fold like paper, shifting aside as an entirely new scene replaced the world around them.
"Amazing ability,"
Shaun Cole said, nodding in genuine appreciation.
"Hmph!"
the woman snorted.
"You outsider—tell me, what is your purpose for coming to Earth?"
"If I said I had no purpose at all,"
Shaun Cole asked,
"would you believe me?"
The woman thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Exactly,"
Shaun Cole shrugged.
"That's why I won't tell you. You wouldn't believe me anyway."
"You—!"
Angered, the woman thrust the sigil forward again. The pattern turned circular, beams of light shooting out like lightning toward Shaun Cole.
As the beams reached him in an instant, Shaun Cole grabbed the cloak behind him with one hand and swept it forward.
The beams of light vanished the moment they struck the cloak.
The cloak itself remained completely unharmed.
This cloak had been crafted from a Sacred Shroud fragment—an ancient relic left behind by the Isu. It was the very shroud used on the day of Jesus' crucifixion, capable of blocking attacks, briefly reviving the dead, and curing the sick.
After obtaining the Shroud, Shaun Cole had personally sought out Leonardo da Vinci and asked him to fashion it into a cloak. His Hidden Blades, staff, and Apple fragments had likewise been modified.
"Is this magic? A superpower… or something else?"
Shaun Cole asked with interest.
The woman answered only with further attacks.
None of them could harm him in the slightest.
Seeing her about to draw yet another sigil, Shaun Cole vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared behind her, formed his hand into a blade, and struck the side of her neck.
Her vision went black, and she collapsed unconscious.
The distorted surroundings faded, and the world returned to normal.
Looking down at the bald woman lying on the ground, Shaun Cole sighed softly.
"Master Nun… was this really necessary?"
He bent down, lifted her up, and walked off into the distance.