Chapter 1180 - 1181: Ranar Versus City Lord
Lower the barrier," he commanded.
Razor Head lifted his brows, a trace of hesitation flashing across his face.
"She’s in the Fourth Class. Are yo—"
"Lower it."
The city lord’s voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable authority behind it.
Razor Head immediately lowered his head and nodded. "Yes, Lord."
The men surrounding the barrier quickly began tampering with the formation. Runes flickered one after another, their light becoming unstable as the barrier slowly weakened.
The moment it flickered out of existence, Ranar’s body exploded with a blinding flash of light.
Radiance filled every corner of the room, turning everything into a world of white. In that same instant, countless swords made of pure light appeared in the air before raining down with catastrophic force, their sharp edges tearing through everything in front of her.
Ranar unleashed every ounce of destructive power she could muster.
She wasn’t thinking about restraint.
She wasn’t thinking about morality.
She was afraid.
The city lord frightened her more than any monster or horror she had encountered on her journey. He was more terrifying than the creature carrying the lamp, more terrifying than anything she had ever seen.
For the first time, fear completely overwhelmed the ideals she had once held so tightly.
She simply wanted to survive.
Everything in front of her was swallowed by the radiance.
Stone shattered.
The ground cracked.
The air trembled beneath the overwhelming force of her attack.
Then the light vanished.
The room fell dark.
Ranar’s chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared ahead, her golden eyes wide.
For a moment, she saw nothing.
Then the darkness slowly shifted.
The city lord was still standing.
He had not moved.
Neither had the people behind him.
Ranar’s pupils contracted.
"My darkness has swallowed your light."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Ranar stared at the darkness surrounding him.
This was the city lord’s darkness attribute, but it was unlike any darkness she had ever encountered. It wasn’t simply the absence of light. It was something deeper, something that seemed to devour the very concept of radiance itself.
The city lord slowly raised his hand.
Silver gauntlets materialized over his arms.
He looked at Ranar without even the slightest trace of fear.
"Your destructive capacity is high. A shame it was never properly harnessed."
He took a step forward.
"You possess great power, yet no technique. I sense hesitation in every movement you make and no resolve behind your attacks."
Ranar’s hands trembled.
"You have power," he continued, "but you are weak."
He stepped forward again.
Ranar’s legs refused to move.
Then Ric suddenly charged.
He wasn’t afraid.
A black sphere of magical energy formed around his palms, rapidly growing as it absorbed and compressed everything around it.
A miniature black hole.
Ric gritted his teeth and thrust both hands forward.
The miniature black hole shot toward the city lord.
The man merely shifted his body to the side.
The attack passed him.
Before Ric could react, the city lord’s fist slammed into his side.
"Gah!"
Ric’s body bent from the impact.
Before he could recover, the city lord’s fingers stabbed into his shoulder and then struck his left rib.
Ric’s face twisted in pain.
The city lord grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the ground.
Blood spilled from Ric’s nose.
Then the city lord kicked him away, sending the young boy tumbling across the floor until he stopped near Ranar.
"I see."
The city lord looked down at him.
"Fearlessness driven by naivety. You do not know death, so you have no reason to fear it."
His eyes narrowed.
"Now you shall taste it."
He turned toward Ranar.
"Let me see if recklessness can become courage."
Ranar’s eyes widened when she saw the blood covering Ric’s face.
Something inside her snapped.
Her golden hair suddenly erupted into a brilliant radiance.
"RIC!"
She screamed and charged.
Her body became a streak of light that tore across the room, leaving a searing red trail behind her. The ancient ground beneath her feet melted from the sheer heat of her passage.
Her fist struck the city lord.
The impact sent him flying backward.
Yet before his body could crash into the wall, he twisted in midair, caught Ranar’s hand and used her own momentum against her.
He flipped her.
Her back slammed into the ground and then the wall with a force faster than the human eye could follow.
Pain spread through her entire body.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and began staining her golden hair before reaching her golden eyes.
Then a ray of sunlight pierced through a crack in the ancient ceiling.
The moment the sunlight touched her body, her wounds began healing on their own.
Ranar slowly pushed herself upright.
She wiped the blood from her eyes and raised her hand.
"[Star Burst]."
Destructive energy began condensing around her palm.
But the city lord was no longer standing in front of her.
Ranar’s eyes widened.
He was already beside her.
Before she could launch the attack, his fist struck her.
Her body was sent flying.
"You aren’t much different from a monster in the Fourth Class Advancement."
He followed after her.
"You may be stronger and faster, but you are still weak."
Ranar struggled to regain her footing.
"You fight like a child," he continued, "unsure of yourself with every attack."
He stared at her.
"I am beginning to doubt that you are Damon Grey’s daughter."
Ranar froze.
"Phantom was ruthless, even toward himself. I knew he had the potential to become a killer, even with Back to Back stopping him."
The city lord’s expression became colder.
"You, on the other hand, possess great power but lack the will to use it."
He took another step toward her.
"He must be disappointed to have such an offspring."
Ranar’s hands began trembling.
"Your father must despise you."
Her pupils trembled.
"T-That’s not true."
She raised both hands and began firing magical attacks at him.
The city lord casually weaved between them.
Every attack missed.
He moved before her attacks had even fully formed, seemingly predicting where she would strike before she made the decision herself.
Then he closed the distance.
His kick struck her abdomen.
Ranar coughed violently as she was sent crashing into the ground.
She tried to rise.
Another kick sent her rolling across the floor.
Blood spilled from her lips.
Ric forced himself upright.
"Ranar!"
He rushed toward the city lord.
The man turned.
His palm struck Ric’s chest and slammed him back into the ground.
Before Ric could recover, the city lord grabbed him by the neck and lifted him from the ground.
His feet scraped helplessly against the floor.
The city lord looked at Ranar.
"If you resist any further, I will kill your friends."
Ranar’s body froze.
He tossed Ric toward her.
She hurriedly caught him, stumbling backward from the impact.
The city lord slowly raised his foot.
Then he looked toward Razor Head, who had been standing nearby watching everything unfold.
"I’ll take them."
Razor Head blinked.
"Huh?"
"Tell everyone to keep an eye out."
Razor Head frowned.
"Why?"
The city lord stopped.
For the first time, something resembling anticipation appeared in his eyes.
"Because he will come."
His voice lowered.
"I know he will."
He slowly looked toward Ranar.
"After all, he has never backed down from a fight."
A faint smile appeared beneath his scarred face.
"Phantom."
His fingers slowly curled into fists.
"I’ve waited a long time for this."