Adrian did not waste any time and activated his <Shadow> property. He flashed to the old man, taking the general by surprise.

The man raised his foot to take a step back. But before he could land it on the ground, Adrian was already ahead of him.

Both of his claws targeted two different areas- one towards the face, and the other towards the torso- such that sentry could not dodge both of them at once.

The old man who was taken off guard, twisted his body nonetheless. The claws put a deep cut on his cheek and chest, but they were not deep enough to be called a major injury.

Adrian used both his <Abscence> essence and <Corrosion> sub-property to the fullest- increasing the damage and hiding his property. But it was not enough. He also tried using his demonic aura. Unsurprisingly, the general did not fear him. All he had was caution.

But nevertheless, he achieved his goal. He returned back to his previous position and took his human form. <Shadow> eats too much of his energy.

The old man regained his balance. He unsheathed his sword and took on a defensive stance. His squinted eyes were locked on the mysterious man ahead.

What just happened was dangerous- too dangerous. The being was faster than even himself- one of the fastest men in the continent. Moreover, those claws packed quite the punch. His jaws were almost split open just now.

He looked down. The wound on his chest was even worse. The claws missed his lungs and head by a few millimetres. He turned back to the being. He was nonchalantly standing there, blood dripping from those ghastly claws.

The caution in his heart increased. Fuck! He was strong- really strong. And he also had all of his strength in himself. Or was it all just a bluff? But he could not possibly bluff twice in a row, could he?

Hundreds of thoughts drowned the man’s mind.

Adrian hid two high grade dark magic crystal in his hands. During his last barrage, he could have tried to land a few more attacks. But the veteran would have dodged a few of them. That would decrease his own threat level in the man’s eyes.

How to defeat a stronger opponent? Make him think he is weaker.

Adrian stood on the institute field lazily, as if he did not care about the battle enough.

He disappeared once again. But this time, the man was prepared. He jumped high in that air and activated his flight property. He looked down on the ground, but the being did not appear.

He hiked his senses to the fullest. Suddenly, he felt a presence. It was- above!

He did not even look and dived below as fast as possible. But the claws still managed to graze his back deeply.

The man made an abrupt landing on the ground. He barely got up on his feet.

The being was still standing at his original spot. He had a pose that conveyed he was bored. Even more blood was dripping from those dark claws.

He became even more cautious. Fuck! That motherfucker could fly too? His own second property was rendered ineffective? Was he serious when he said he robbed a treasury from the Imperial family just because he was bored?

He regretted coming here alone to fight this monster. And where was that other fugitive? The mistress? Was she too bored to walk that she got this monster to carry her? Was she another monster that was just watching him suffer from the sidelines?

Tens of questions along with the aching pains clouded his minds. He became more and more cautious. But he did not feel any fear. Sentries had to undergo a process which removed any sense of fear from them. They could easily lay down their lives for the Imperial family.

Adrian, on the other hand, now had four magic crystals in his hands. In his previous move, he attached his shadow to the general’s clothes and got up on the air along with him. He jumped out, struck the old man and dived in again.

He made one thing sure- that the old man would not think of flying in this battle ever again.

The general’s stance got even more defensive. Flight was not an option now. Apparently, the enemy was a better and faster flyer than he was. Thankfully, he had already sent the signal. All he needed to do now was hold on until the reinforcements arrive.

Mister Ephialtes was standing before him, as nonchalant as ever. His eyes were fixed on the masked man. But his sense was spread everywhere. There was another monster lurking in the building.

Maybe she was in the building to the left, or the building to the right, or the bridge between the two buildings- one that separated his side of the field and the monster’s side of the field.

The being moved again. He brandished his sword, preparing to somehow defend those unpredictable attacks.

But he was taken by surprise, yet again.

Mister Ephialtes was got one of his claws inside his clothes, and was scratching his back?

The man yawned through the black mask. “This is getting boring- very boring. Chatting with you about treasures and status was more fun.” He said with a downed voice, as if even the act of talking was boring by itself.

The old man could only smile wryly. Yes, talking was better. He should have just let these two fugitives go. It was not his fault anyway that the treasury was robbed; it was those cursed Carsons’ faults. But now that he was riding the tiger’s back, he had no more choice. He could only hope that the reinforcements would come in time.

“Tsk.” The being clicked his tongue. “I thought I would have some fun playing with a general from the Imperial Sentries. But I guess I was wrong.”

Adrian took a step forward.

“Let’s end this, shall we?”