Adrian Lewin POV
The blade never touched me.
The moment it moved—
I was gone.
Space where I stood now empty.
And in the next instant, I stood behind him.
Close.
Too close.
No hesitation.
No warning.
My hand rose.
And everything I had been gathering — Released.
"Apocalypse."
For a fraction of a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The air screamed.
A surge of force erupted from my palm, compressed and violent, carrying the weight of accumulated Nature Mana. It didn't explode outward wildly—it focused, concentrated into a single devastating release.
The masked man or should I say Assassin Guild Leader reacted instantly.
Fast.
Unnaturally fast.
He twisted, his blade snapping back to intercept— But he was late.
Too late.
The force struck.
A direct hit.
The impact distorted the air itself, sending a shockwave tearing through the clearing. Trees bent, the ground cracked, and everything within range trembled under the sheer pressure....and the range was massive even when I controlled the direction.
The masked man blocked.
But not completely.
His body was thrown back, his footing lost as he crashed through the ground, leaving a deep trail behind him. He had used his abilities to stop the throw or his body but it couldn't resist Apocalypse.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
And for the first time—
The assassin had been caught off guard.
And injured.
I exhaled slowly.
The clearing was silent now—too silent after what had just happened. The trees still trembled faintly from the aftermath of the force I had released. The ground bore the marks of impact, cracked and torn.
Valen stood a short distance away, his sword still raised, his eyes locked on the spot where the masked man had been thrown.
The Empress remained calm, though I could feel her attention shift toward me.
I let my posture relax slightly, as if what had just happened wasn't particularly significant.
Inside, however—
Everything was calculated.
Everything had been planned.
From the very beginning.
The moment the attack happened mid-air—
I already knew.
It wasn't directed at the Empress.
Not primarily.
That slash—
The angle, the intent, the presence behind it—
It was aimed at me.
More like it was to make battle happen in ground for some reason he didn't want us in air.
Sixth Sense had made that clear instantly.
Not just hostility.
Not just killing intent.
But focus.
Pure, unwavering focus.
On me.
The problem was—
I couldn't respond immediately.
Not with Apocalypse.
Not without preparation.
Apocalypse wasn't something I could use casually.
It required time.
Time to absorb Nature Mana.
Time I didn't have at that moment.
And showing hesitation—
Was not an option, not in front of The Empress and another Powerhouse.
So I chose the simplest solution.
Deflection.
Not of attacks—
But of intent.
The moment we landed, I already had my role decided.
Detached.
Uninvolved.
Uninterested.
---
"Not guests, just guest."
That wasn't a casual remark.
It was deliberate.
I had already identified that there was only one attacker.
Valen asked for location.
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't need to.
The longer he searched, the more alert he became.
The more prepared he would be.
And the more natural it would feel when the attacker revealed himself.
When the masked man or I should say Assassin Guild Leader finally appeared—
Everything confirmed my suspicion.
His presence.
Or rather—
His absence.
That unnatural way of existing, slipping through perception.
That wasn't meant for open combat.
That was meant for assassination.
And yet—
He showed himself.
Openly.
In front of all of us.
Why?
Because he needed a distraction.
A setup.
An opportunity.
And I gave it to him.
"Well… looks like this isn't my problem."
That single line shifted everything.
Valen's attention.
The Empress's expectation.
Even the assassin's evaluation.
From that moment onward—
I wasn't a target.
I was background.
Valen stepped forward, as expected.
He took responsibility.
Positioned himself between the Empress and the attacker.
Exactly where I needed him to be.
The assassin adapted immediately.
Smart , as expected of Assassin Guild Leader.
He didn't force the issue.
He shifted his approach.
He would create the illusion of attacking the Empress.
And I let him.
While Valen fought—
I observed.
Not casually.
Not passively.
Completely.
Every Nature Force activated
Every movement.
Every shift in weight.
Every angle of attack.
Every fluctuation in presence.
Sixth Sense read intent.
Not surface-level actions.
But deeper.
The underlying direction of killing intent.
The moment it shifted.
The moment it focused.
The moment it prepared.
Even when he attacked Valen—
That intent wasn't fully there.
It was divided.
Testing.
Adjusting.
Waiting.
And during all of this—
I kept absorbing Nature Mana.
Silently.
Apocalypse didn't require movement.
Didn't require visible preparation.
It simply gathered Nature Mana.
From nature itself.
Every second that passed—
The power built.
Exponentially.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Valen held his ground.
Better than most would.
Assassin Guild Leader didn't rush.
He was patient.
Which made him dangerous.
Thirty minutes.
By then—
The outcome was already decided.
All that remained— Was timing.
Forty minutes.
Enough Nature Mana was gathered by then.
That was when I made my move.
Not physically.
But perceptually.
I relaxed further.
Shifted my stance.
Turned away.
Completely exposing my back.
Careless.
Reckless.
Stupid.
Or so it seemed.
But my focus was completely at my back.
All Nature Force already ready.
Valen reacted immediately.
His focus broke.
His attention shifted
Exactly as expected.
The assassin saw it too.
Opportunity.
Perfect.
Irresistible.
He vanished.
And reappeared behind me.
Silent.
Precise.
Deadly.
His blade—
Just inches away.
That was the moment.
The exact moment—
When intent became absolute.
Sixth Sense flared.
Omniscient felt the change of air pressure, the sound, the smell
No more misdirection.
No more testing.
No more waiting.
That strike— Was meant to kill me.
And I moved
Not reactively.
Not defensively.
But exactly as planned.
I teleported , our Position reversed.
I had planned to teleport from start because I knew he was an assassin so I need to catch him off guard.
Apocalypse used just as planned.
Everything I had gathered—
Everything I had prepared—
Unleashed in a single instant.
No hesitation.
No delay.
And because of that—
He couldn't fully defend- not completely
Even a Powerhouse—
Caught off guard—
Couldn't negate that completely.
The result—
Was inevitable.
I straightened slightly, my gaze shifting toward the direction where the masked man had been thrown.
Still.
Silent.
But no longer untouchable.
I let out a quiet breath.
From the beginning—
There was never a moment where I wasn't in control
I simply chose—
To make it look otherwise.
.......
Valen POV
My grip on my sword tightened.
From the moment the masked man had appeared, I knew this was no ordinary opponent. Every strike, every movement—it had all been calculated, precise, and unnaturally difficult to follow.
Even now, as the dust from the impact settled, my mind replayed the fight.
I hadn't been losing.
But i wasn't winning either.
And that alone—
Was enough to unsettle me.
A Powerhouse battle was never simple, but this… this had been different.
I couldn't go all out.
Not truly.
My priority had never changed - The Empress.
Every movement I made, every strike I chose to follow through with or abandon—it was all influenced by her position behind me. I couldn't afford reckless offense. Couldn't afford to overextend. Couldn't afford to lose control of the battlefield.
And the masked man had known that.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Yes.
He had known.
That bastard had been exploiting it.
Every time I tried to push forward, the attack would shift—angle, trajectory, intent—just enough to force me back into defense.
Not because I was weaker.
But because I was restrained.
Because I had something to protect.
And that made all the difference.
I exhaled slowly.
Even so…
I had held my ground.
But then—
My gaze shifted toward The Twelfth Lord.
The Twelfth Lord stood there as if nothing had happened. Calm. Unbothered. As though that exchange hadn't even qualified as a fight.
My jaw tightened.
One attack.
Just one.
And the masked man—someone who had forced me into a drawn-out exchange—had been thrown back, heavily injured.
It didn't make sense.
Or rather—
It made too much sense.
I had suspected it from the beginning.
This man—
The so-called Monster Lord—
Wasn't normal.
I have seen Powerhouses before.
Fought alongside them.
Fought against them.
But this…
This was different.
That attack wasn't just powerful.
It was overwhelming.
Decisive.
Like a conclusion that had already been decided before it was even executed.
There was also that the masked man was caught off guard.
But that wasn't easy either or I had done so.
The Twelfth Lord wasn't careless
He looked careless but he knew what was happening.
Maybe he would have protected The Empress if she was truly in danger?
Difficult to say since we aren't exactly friends.
I lowered my blade slightly, though my guard remained up.
"…What exactly are you?" I muttered under my breath.
—
The Empress POV
I watched everything in silence.
My golden eyes couldn't keep up with Powerhouse.
But I didn't miss any detail that was possible to catch or interpret for me.
From the beginning of the fight—
To the very end.
I had seen Valen struggle.
Not in skill.
Not in strength.
But in position.
He had been forced to divide his focus, constantly adjusting, constantly reacting.
Protecting me.
That was his duty.
And because of that—
He could never truly fight freely.
My gaze shifted slightly.
Toward The Twelfth Lord.
From the moment he had stepped aside, claiming it wasn't his problem—
I had found it strange.
Too strange.
He hadn't panicked.
Hadn't shown concern.
Hadn't even bothered to observe openly.
It wasn't his style
After all he killed that monster during the Hero ceremony.
However he did look like a prey ready to be hunted.
And yet—
At the critical moment—
He moved.
Perfectly.
Instantly.
Without hesitation.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
That wasn't coincidence.
That wasn't luck.
That was certainty.
And that attack…
My fingers tightened ever so slightly.
It wasn't just powerful.
It was controlled.
Precisely timed.
As if he had been waiting.
Preparing.
Watching.
All along.
A faint smile formed on my lips.
"…Interesting."
Very interesting.
I had initially thought him unpredictable.
Perhaps even reckless.
But now—
I saw something else.
Something beneath that casual exterior.
Something far more dangerous.
My gaze lingered on him for a moment longer.
The Monster Lord.
Yes…
That title might not have been exaggerated after all.
And perhaps— I had underestimated him.
Just a little.