Without a mont’s hesitation, Julian acted. His eyes narrowed into slits, and as far as he was concerned, the fight was already over even before it started.
Whoosh!
Thick shadow tendrils erupted from his form, coiling and writhing like living serpents born from the abyss — tendrils that only the Elven Queen would recognize.
They lashed out in large quantities, echoing through the air as they surged toward Adrian’s direction, aiming to ensnare and suck the life out of him in an instant.
But they struck empty air.
’Where is he?’ Julian’s mind raced, his enhanced senses flaring to their fullest. He spun around, shadows rippling around him like a cloak, scanning every inch of the courtyard — the trees, the benches, the distant dormitory lights.
Nothing. No trace of him. To Julian, it felt like Adrian had just disappeared into thin air.
That realization made his expression freeze. If that was truly the case, then he was dood. The pill’s effects would wear off in five seconds and he’d be left vulnerable.
***
Adrian found himself on the familiar green grass of his Factory. He let out a breath. "That was close."
His instincts had flared to life the mont he detected Julian’s aura shift, and from the story Loryn had shared, Adrian pieced it together in a flash.
The assassin had been invincible when the Elves confronted him, making their attacks falter like they were re annoyances.
But one detail had struck out to Adrian: the sudden disappearance. It wasn’t a retreat born of fear; it was haste, a desperate need to escape before sothing ran out.
"He’s against ti," Adrian reasoned aloud. "That’s why he went straight after an attack."
Whatever power Julian wielded, it wasn’t his own; it was temporary, and it probably ca with a steep cost.
That realization sparked a plan. Adrian would wait it out here, in the safety of his Factory, letting the clock tick down on Julian’s advantage.
But it wasn’t without risk. "The cooldown activates the mont I leave," he reminded himself, pacing the grass. That ant that he couldn’t abuse this space as an infinite escape hatch.
Timing was everything. He had to return fast enough to catch Julian before he could flee, but not so fast that he’d face him in that empowered state.
"Good thing I had the foresight to prepare," Adrian said with a grim smile, refusing to leave it to chance.
He focused his attention on a small, unassuming Communicator he had dropped to the ground the mont he teleported. The device was marked with his soul imprint, allowing him to see and hear through it.
Through it, he could see Julian’s figure in the courtyard. Then, crackle! A dark bolt of shadow energy lanced out from Julian’s hand, striking the communicator dead-on. The vision fizzled out imdiately.
"Damn," Adrian cursed under his breath. Julian was no fool; he’d sensed the anomaly and destroyed it. Now, Adrian had no eyes on the scene. He had no other choice but to wait, counting the seconds in his head, his mind racing through contingencies.
After what felt like an eternity but was only twenty seconds in the Factory, Adrian finally spoke the command. "Exit Factory."
The world shifted in a blur, reality snapping back into focus. The mont his eyes t Julian’s across the courtyard, Adrian could tell imdiately that his brother had reverted to his normal self.
The oppressive aura was gone, replaced by the mundane presence of a 4-Star Mage. It was odd that Julian hadn’t fled; perhaps arrogance, or maybe he thought Adrian was truly gone.
But Adrian didn’t care to ponder it. He charged forward in the blink of an eye, his body a streak of motion, launching a powerful kick aid straight at Julian’s midsection.
Whoosh!
His leg swung through empty air, eting no resistance. Julian was gone.
It was then Adrian noticed the complex formation etched faintly into the ground; a intricate array of runes that lit up with a brief, violet glow before flickering out and dying as quickly as it had ignited.
***
In a flash of purple light, Julian found himself materializing in an unknown place. It was a last resort teleportation he’d prepared, a desperate anchor if Adrian did sohow return.
"Phew, that was a close one," he murmured, wiping sweat from his brow. The pill’s aftereffects lingered, a faint tremor in his limbs, but he was safe.
Just as he turned around to survey his new surroundings, his eyes locked onto a figure standing before him.
White hair and bright blue eyes he knew all too well. It was Adrian, who had used [Translocation] to arrive next to him. He had this in mind when he tapped Julian’s shoulder at their first encounter, leaving a small trace of his mark on him.
Before Julian could react, Adrian’s hand shot out like a vice, grabbing him by the throat with unyielding strength.
Crack!
The grip tightened, lifting Julian several ters into the sky, his feet dangling helplessly above the stone floor.
"You better start spilling your secrets, or I will drop you." Adrian said in a low tone. "Who are you? What’s your motive in all this? Where the hell did you co from?"
Contrary to Adrian’s expectations, there was no fear in Julian’s eyes. He maintained his usual deadpan expression, his gaze steady and defiant even as his airway was constricted.
"Alright then. Throw down."
Adrian didn’t lose his patience; instead, his lips curved into a wicked smile and his eyes had an evil glint to it.
In his previous life as a loner on Earth, Adrian could be described as a psychopath by so standards.
When he wasn’t buried in work, he spent his free ti over-analyzing everything, from quantum theories to the darkest corners of human history.
That included dissecting the most insane stuff. He’d simulated them in his mind a thousand tis, not out of sadism, but pure intellectual curiosity... How far could the human body and spirit be pushed before they shattered?
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