Chapter 187: Did You Ask for My Permission?

  "So, you're the master of that phosphorus doll?"

  Alex tightened his grip on the Severing Void Sword, carefully scrutinizing the man before him… Hmm, at least from the outside, he didn’t seem all that different from a normal human. But the aura emanating from him made it clear—this man was no human. He was something entirely different, something unnatural.

  "That's right. To be honest, at first, I thought some Fme Haze had lured me out on purpose. But I never expected…"

  The man trailed off, his gaze fixed on Alex, a flicker of complexity passing through his eyes.

  "A human who can move freely within Sealing Territory… I’m truly curious—how did you manage that?"

  "You think I’d tell you?"

  Alex scoffed at the question. This man was his enemy—he wasn’t stupid enough to reveal his secrets. Besides, the guy looked annoyingly handsome…

  Hmph, same-gender rivalry at its finest. The w of nature dictates that when two handsome men meet, only one can walk away alive.

  Don’t bme me—bme this survival-of-the-fittest world!

  With that thought, Alex’s gaze turned cold. He tightened his grip on the Severing Void Sword and swung it forward. As the bde sshed through the air, a brilliant white holy light surged forth, transforming into a sharp arc of sword energy that cleaved toward the man in front of him.

  The man in the white suit, holding a tattered doll in one arm, met the attack with a grave expression. With a flick of his other hand, the deck of cards in his grasp began spinning, rapidly forming into a long whip that shed out toward the incoming sword energy.

  The collision of sword energy and artifact erupted in a thunderous explosion. Using this moment, the man swiftly retreated, trying to widen the distance between himself and Alex.

  But Alex had no intention of letting him escape.

  The instant he unched his sword strike, his figure vanished from the ground. In the next breath, he reappeared behind the suited man.

  "Hmph, reckless fool!"

  Sensing Alex’s presence behind him, the man quickly turned around. However, there was no panic in his expression. Instead, a smirk curled at his lips, his eyes gleaming with a look of triumph—like a spider watching its prey stumble into its web.

  At that moment, the white coat he wore began to emit a faint glow…

  But before the glow could intensify, Alex suddenly raised his left hand and pointed a finger at him.

  "Dispel!"

  With a shout, an invisible surge of magic swept forth like a tidal wave. The next second, the man’s expression twisted in shock as the light on his coat instantly dimmed.

  "Impossible! You dispelled my artifact's effect?!"

  His eyes widened in disbelief. He could feel it—his artifact, which should have activated at this moment, had been forcefully suppressed by some strange force. He couldn't use it at all!

  How did he do it?!

  But Alex had no intention of answering.

  With the man’s artifact temporarily neutralized, Alex seized the opportunity—his right hand clenched the Severing Void Sword tightly as he sshed down with the force of a divine judgment.

  Sanctified Knight’s Verdict!

  "Arghhh!!"

  The radiant white sword energy transformed into a massive hammer, smming into the man’s body with unstoppable force. The impact sent him flying through the air like a cannonball, crashing through the cssroom wall before tumbling across the ground like a battered bowling pin.

  Cough… Cough…

  Staggering to his feet, the man was now covered in dust and dirt. His once-pristine white suit was filthy and disheveled—gone was his former composed and elegant demeanor. Now, he looked more like a beggar who had just crawled out of a sewer after a brutal beating.

  To Alex, however, this was a much more pleasing sight.

  But that didn’t mean he was going to show mercy.

  Before the man could even fully stand, a storm of holy light roared forward like a furious dragon, tearing through the dust and surging toward him.

  Seeing the divine radiance bearing down on him, the man’s expression darkened. He clenched his fists tightly.

  Click!

  In the next instant, dozens of strange-looking puppets appeared before him. Like loyal soldiers, they extended their arms, forming a barrier in front of their master.

  But the very next second—

  The sacred storm crashed through the puppet wall like a raging flood, consuming them without hesitation and continuing its relentless assault.

  However, that brief moment was all the man needed.

  "I have to admit, you’re pretty fast."

  Emerging from the gaping hole in the wall, Alex stepped forward, sword in hand, staring at the disheveled man in the distance.

  The once-dignified man in the white suit now looked utterly wretched, his face livid with frustration. Holding his tattered doll tightly, he gred daggers at Alex with pure malice in his eyes.

  And then—

  "I found it!"

  At that moment, a figure wreathed in fmes appeared—Shana, gripping her longsword tightly, her expression solemn as she stared at the man before her.

  "Astor, is he one of the Crimson Lords?"

  "That’s right, Shana."

  Hearing Shana’s question, the pendant around her neck promptly responded.

  "Be careful—he is ‘The Hunter,’ Fariagni. He specializes in collecting and utilizing various artifacts, and he’s notorious for hunting down Fme Haze. He’s extremely diffic—uh…"

  "…………"

  Clearly, as Astor took in the sorry state of the so-called formidable Crimson Lord before them, the rest of his words caught in his throat.

  Because, well… Fariagni looked absolutely wretched. His pristine white suit was now riddled with gaping holes, his once-neat hair a chaotic mess from the previous explosions and battle. He looked less like a fearsome hunter and more like a thug who had been dragged through the dirt and beaten senseless.

  It was hard to convince anyone of his supposed strength in this condition.

  "So, the Fme of Heaven, Astor?"

  Fariagni stumbled to his feet, forcing a strained smile.

  What a turn of events.

  "Never thought we’d meet under circumstances like this. How amusing… Tell me, was this human some kind of trap you id out just for me?"

  "Honestly? I didn’t expect this either."

  Astor’s tone carried both surprise and a hint of conflicted emotion. Indeed, while Shana’s contracted deity had sensed Alex’s power before, he had never considered him to be all that formidable.

  But now… seeing the pitiful state of "The Hunter," Astor realized he had seriously underestimated this human.

  After all, even among the Crimson Lords, Fariagni was considered quite powerful—his reputation for hunting down Fme Haze warriors was proof enough. Each Fme Haze was someone who had forged a contract with a Crimson Lord, wielding incredible power. To hunt them like prey was no small feat.

  And yet… look at him now.

  He looked less like a legendary hunter and more like a small-time crook who had just been caught shoplifting, his face bruised bck and blue.

  "Hmph… I was careless this time."

  Using his puppets as cover, Fariagni retreated a few steps, clutching his tattered doll tightly while gring coldly at Alex and Shana.

  "But next time… you won’t be so lucky, human, Fme Haze!"

  As he spoke, a surge of blue-green fmes erupted around him, enveloping his body.

  "Not good! He’s trying to escape!"

  Seeing this, Shana’s expression shifted. She immediately raised her sword and dashed forward, but before she could reach him, more puppets appeared, blocking her path.

  Fariagni, seeing her frustration, smirked, regaining a shred of his former confidence. With a final sneer, his body began to fade away…

  But things didn’t go quite as he had pnned.

  Just as Fariagni activated his teleportation, a faint magical glow suddenly spread across the space, encasing him within its boundaries.

  And in the next instant, the unlucky "Hunter" realized something was terribly wrong.

  He hadn’t been transported back to the comfort of his ir.

  He was still here.

  "What’s going on? Why isn’t my teleportation working?!"

  "Because you’re an idiot."

  As those words rang out, Alex appeared before Fariagni once more, bringing his sword down in a decisive ssh.

  The moment Fariagni had attempted to flee, Alex had silently set a dimensional anchor.

  A lesson he had learned well from his main world—lock down the space first, then beat them senseless at his leisure.

  You think you can just put on a show and run?

  Did you ask for my permission?

  (End of Chapter)

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