“Who the hell is that?!”

Atop a bloodstained parapet among lifeless bodies, a figure in ominous dark armor caught my attention. A solitary horn, reminiscent of the mythical unicorn, adorned their helmet. The warrior deliberately lifted a leg and forcefully stomped on a lever connected to the drawbridge.

A haunting whistle echoed through the air, followed by a booming sound. The anguished cry, which grew louder by the second, echoed beyond the fortress walls as a massive army entered the city of Arago. My gaze locked upon the invading forces flooding into the poverty-stricken sector, an expression of disdain etching itself upon my face.

“When you have a gap in your defenses, this is what happens. Honestly, even a child is smart enough to figure it out.”

Sol snickered and said,

“Funny. Now, what should we do about them? If that really is Warlord Bazark, then I might have trouble with him.”

“Are you saying I should do some more stalling? Getting kinda tired of that, to be honest.”

Sol just shrugged her little shoulders and said nothing else. We were hiding on top of a small mud shack in an area permeating with a foul smell. There was a V like structure on the roof that served as a wall to hide our bodies. Since flying on a shield consumed my mana, I thought it best to save as much as I could. We knew we would eventually have to confront the leader of the Liberators, so we were carefully observing Warlord Bazark. We ignored the soldiers who marched through the barren slums.

While staring, I lowered my voice. “You think I can hit him from down here? He’s busy at the moment, though that might change soon.”

“Why are you so feisty against them? What have they ever done to you?”

Sol’s observation rang true as Warlord Bazark deftly tucked the spherical device into his pocket, preparing himself for the action. He calculatedly bent his legs and gathered explosive energy within his powerful frame. Then, in a burst of astonishing speed, he propelled himself forward, his sprint tracing along the walls with remarkable agility. The leader was undoubtedly fast- way faster than the best sprinters on Earth.

“Damn, he's speedy!”

Without a moment to lose, I started crafting the sniper rifle I used against Luci. The blue particles started weaving into a profound shape, clacking together like metal coins near a magnet. Sol's cheers motivated me to finish crafting the construct in just twenty seconds. I readied the gun, swiveled my body, and aimed the long barrel at the fleeing Warlord, peering through the scope.

I’ll have to infuse much more mana since he’s in the Expert-Rank. If I use the same output I used on Luci, then Warlord Bazark would probably tank the shot.

I was aware that there had to be a sizeable gap between the ranks, much like how there were ranks among superhumans and regular people. What I've learned so far is that people in the same category can have varying strengths. I recall Chen Ling stating that facing off against someone ranked 13th was a breeze, given that he was around that rank himself. Applying that to the demons rankings didn’t seem far-fetched. The key was to estimate the exact amount of mana to infuse in the sniper, balancing the right quantity.

Peering into the scope, the sight had been set directly on Warlord Bazarks’ head. My mana reservoir was about 70% full, so I pooled about 20% into one singular bullet. The construct instantly felt heavy in my hands, but I merely shook it off. With my finger on the trigger and the barrel set, I fired. The bullet raced toward the demon, causing the sky to rumble and the air to vibrate. Just as it was about to pierce his skull, something incredible occurred.

“…!”

Warlord Bazark narrowly avoided the hit and only got grazed by the bullet, but it wasn't a typical graze. The bullet penetrated his helmet and hit flesh. His face was covered in a carpet of blood from a large wound. The demon stopped in his tracks, removed his helmet, and stuck his hand out to the fresh wound.

“Holy shit, he has keen reflexes! How do you dodge a bullet from that distance, all the while oblivious?!”

To attack while the chance was still ripe, I summoned a shield and grabbed Sol in my arms. I willed our ride forward, inputting as much mana as I could to further its speed. We reached Warlord Bazark’s position in a mere moment. The leader was already cauterizing the wound, which was shocking to witness. On his index finger was a ball of Qi that pulsated like a flame. When he felt our presence nearby, he stopped what he was doing and turned, gaping at us.

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“Who-“

I conjured my damastril rapier from the depths of my Inventory, swiftly thrusting the weapon towards Warlord Bazark’s neck. Simultaneously, Sol unleashed her formidable purple Dragon Breath, an eruption of mystical flames aimed directly at our enemy. Despite my attack, he quickly shielded himself with Qi and avoided the full force of my blow by contorting his neck. Although I inflicted a shallow wound on his nape, my strike had ultimately missed its mark.

Undeterred by this setback, Sol’s fiery assault found its mark, engulfing Warlord Bazark in a river of searing flames. Recognizing the need to press on relentlessly, I channeled my mana, summoning a wave of shimmering blades that surrounded the blazing inferno. My arm descended in one fluid motion, unleashing the precise mana blades. I observed from a safe distance as numerous blades penetrated the flames, efficiently subduing them. I dismissed the mana blades and watched as the flames died down.

“Please don’t jinx us.”

Warlord Bazark’s labored breaths resonated through the air, setting us on high alert. His once-imposing armor now bore the marks of the intense battle, the pieces dripping and falling onto the walls like heavy raindrops. As the charred armor revealed toned muscles beneath, blackened from the onslaught of Sol’s fire attack, a sense of the warlord’s formidable strength became apparent. With an intimidating glare, potent enough to strike fear into the hearts of men a thousand times over, his gaze locked onto us.

The demon’s hands clenched tightly around his weapon. “Warlord Rex had such warriors at his disposal? How amusing! The deity had not warned me of such firepower…”

Deity? Who the hell is he referring to? Screw it, I don’t need to know.

I readied myself to release another wave of deadly blades, as a last resort against the approaching danger. However, Warlord Bazark proved to be swifter than I expected. With a swift swing of his blade, he unleashed a formidable torrent of Qi directed towards me. As danger approached, I instinctively huddled with Sol, using my skills to create a protective shield just in time.

The force of the warlord’s energy surged towards us, relentlessly exerting pressure that strained my limbs and threatened to overwhelm me. I grimaced, feeling the weight of his power bearing down upon me.

Once the assault subsided, I cautiously peered over the shield, my heart pounding in my chest. The sight in front of me gave me goosebumps. Surrounding me from all directions were ominous orbs of red, crackling with an unsettling energy that caused every hair on my body to stand on end.

“Dispersal.”

With a chilling command from Warlord Bazark, the orbs of red descended upon me with alarming speed. Panic took over as I fought to eliminate as many as possible, using my weapons infused with mana.

Memories of a similar encounter in a cavern resurfaced when I faced the orbs of red. It was there that I battled against a magus demogre who wielded orbs of mana capable of tracking their targets. The sheer terror I experienced during that encounter lingered within me, vividly reminding me of the potentially fatal consequences if even a single orb were to make contact. However, the current situation was a cruel twist of fate, as the warlord harnessed a power akin to the one I had previously encountered, albeit using his own Qi.

One orb broke through my defenses and hurled itself toward Sol. In a single snap, a small shield appeared and blocked the attack from harming the dragon. I couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief as my mana reservoir was being rapidly depleted. I had about 30% left to spare. In order to avoid being overwhelmed by the demon's oppressive magic, I had to quickly come up with a plan. It was hard to do that when destroying orbs and protecting Sol at the same time.

“Ugh, I can’t think under all this pressure!”

Through all the explosions, Warlord Bazark had already gotten up. His forehead wound was cauterized and his breathing had slowed somewhat. Cracking his neck, the demon inched forward, grinning at us.

“Is that all your power amounts to? I’m quite astonished that you were this weak! It is understandable to resort to cheap methods. Your kind are all the same.”

Oh great, now he’s gloating and a piece of shit! Where’s Warlord Rex at?!

My arms were getting tired from the constant bombardment, as if I was carrying the entire world on my stringy arms. The world spun, and I felt my knees buckling from fatigue. Mana levels were at 25% and I had still not found a way to escape without risking injury. If push came to shove, I’d have to prepare to lose an eye or something…

Sol’s calm voice had me snap my head toward her.

Sol nodded at my desperateness and clung to my leg. I was wondering what she had in mind until she did something I hadn’t expected in a million years. The little dragon stuck her forelimb out and poked her talons right into my leg!

Without answering, Sol watched blood stream out of my leg and licked her rough tongue at the wound, a feeling similar to a dog licking’s face. I was about to ask her what the hell she was doing until I felt I was spending more mana than usual. It didn’t take me long to figure out what was happening.

As soon as Sol stopped her actions and backed away, an intrusive message from the S.O appeared in my face.

[Solgac acquired the Warp Manipulation mastery!]

Right after the message had ended, I felt an influx of mana under my shoes. Mana caused a spherical form to gradually open the ground, with blue sparks sputtering. My eyes widened as I recognized the familiar pattern, and I almost gasped.

“I-Is that-“

I followed Sol’s advice and conjured a spear using 10% of my mana, reducing my reservoir to 15%. A throbbing headache gnawed at my temples, but I pushed it aside as I chucked the weapon as hard as I could through the portal. The portal closed with a distinct pop, cutting off any chance of escape. As I listened intently, a sound caught my attention—a faint rustling nearby. I couldn’t help but chuckle, a wave of relief washing over me.

Just as Warlord Bazark advanced, a portal materialized directly behind him, a testament to Sol’s ingenuity. Without delay, the spear emerged from the portal with unyielding speed, hurtling directly towards the demon’s heart. The warlord sensed danger and attempted to evade the incoming projectile, but failed. The spear tore through his chest, puncturing his heart with brutal efficiency. A gurgled gasp escaped the warlord’s lips, blood spewing forth as he choked on his own fluids. His body, once imposing, faltered as he sank to his knees, then onto his belly.