Emma understood exactly how far past his limits William had gone.

He had been on constant alert throughout the mission—eyes sharp, senses stretched thin, a protective shield around Nana at all times, even within the safety of Haven. He was prepared, disciplined, and deadly focused, managing every threat despite the exhaustion that pressed on him like a weight.

But even steel bends eventually.

Many would have crumbled under half of what he endured. Yet William held his ground, fought opponent after opponent, and never once let harm reach the child. It was a feat that deserved reverence.

And when that man appeared—silent as a shadow, lethal enough to nearly kill Gloria in a blink—Emma knew they were facing something just as dangerous as the Devil they had fought before. William's condition made it worse. That was why she hadn't hesitated to use **Mark of God** on him.

A Sixth-circle spell, high-rank and relentless in its purpose. For one full minute, the marked would heal without pause—wounds stitched shut, fatal injuries sealed as if time itself refused to let them die. There were ways to bypass it, yes, but no human alive could overpower it through sheer force.

Looking at what unfolded now, Emma was nothing short of relieved she had cast it.

…

William no longer had the luxury of slow, calculated defense.

He had been relying on his telekinetic arms, wrapping them around himself as a shifting barrier since he could barely track where the enemy was coming from. Gloria would have been invaluable—her ability to read vibrations could have mapped the assassin's movements—but she wasn't an option.

So William endured. Dodged. Blocked. Defended.

But that was over.

*SQUELCH.*

Raito's blade punched into William's ribs—deep enough to drop most men—but the blond didn't even blink, trusting his girlfriend's ability.

His palm shot forward.

*DHAK.*

The strike caved into Raito's torso, sending the man flying. With his dagger still buried in William's side, he had no chance to evade. Air blasted out of him as the shockwave cracked through the battlefield.

William surged after him, his wound sealing rapidly under the spell's golden glow. Aether flared around his right hand, thick and controlled.

Raito's grin widened. "You've finally shown some heat."

Even someone like him—someone who had crossed paths with elite warriors—felt the weight of William's precision. His mastery over aether was absurd, frightening even.

But every vessel had a breaking point. And the amount of aether he was forcing through his body now… that shell would not hold forever.

"Come at me!" Raito roared, whipping a chain from his waist and hurling it at William's oncoming form.

William halted mid-air, snatched the chain, and jerked Raito toward him with brutal telekinetic force.

The criminal released the weapon instantly, spun, and crashed a kick into William's head.

*DHAK.*

William's vision sparked—he felt that one. But before the pain could settle, his invisible arms snapped around Raito like serpents, constricting tight before hurling him downwards like a meteor.

The earth waited to break beneath him.

Raito burst from the crater before the dust even settled—his silhouette a blur, his killing intent sharp enough to split the air.

In a single step, he vanished.

CRACK.

A heel slammed into William's sternum from behind.

The force flung William forward, ribs denting—only for the golden glow of Emma's Mark to instantly begin stitching the damage shut. William spun mid-air, telekinetic arms lashing out like spears.

Raito ducked under them, appearing at William's flank.

WHIP—DHAK!

His elbow smashed across William's jaw, then a spinning knee drove into his gut. William inhaled sharply—pain blooming, already fading—and thrust his palm forward, unleashing an invisible shove.

Raito skidded back only inches, boots grinding into the ruptured earth, before blitzing forward again.

His fist carved a wake through the dust. William caught it mid-swing with a telekinetic grip, twisting it aside, and cracked his own knuckles into Raito's ribs.

THOK.

Raito wheezed, but his counter struck faster—two rapid jabs to William's throat followed by a sweeping kick that nearly took his legs out. William levitated an inch off the ground to avoid the trip, caught Raito's wrist, and hurled him overhead.

Raito righted himself mid-flight, landed on one hand, and sprang forward like a released arrow.

SHHHRK—

His blade carved across William's shoulder, slicing deep. William retaliated immediately. His telekinetic arms slammed down like hammers, forcing Raito into a crouch.

But Raito was a devil of speed.

He spun, used the momentum to leap, and descended with a vicious overhead slash—

William blocked with pure psychokinetic pressure, the air itself hardening like glass. The blade stalled. William slammed a kick into Raito's side, sending him sprawling.

But the criminal only laughed, blood at the corner of his lips.

"That healing—irritating as hell."

He bolted again.

William countered instantly.

Fist met rib. Elbow met jaw. Aether met steel. Each blow mirrored—attack for attack, strike for strike—Raito's monstrous speed against William's regenerating ferocity and invisible limbs.

The ground cracked beneath them.

BANG—BANG—BANG—BANG.

Raito finally broke the rhythm.

He dipped under William's swing, stepped into his guard, and drove his dagger straight into William's chest.

SHUNK.

It pierced deep—right above the heart.

William's breath hitched, the Mark flaring bright. But his palm was already lifted, a poorly constructed Drop of Oblivion in his hold.

Raito's grin widened—

Then the world exploded.

BOOOM.

The air-drop erupted point-blank, detonating like a silent cannon. The blast punched into Raito's torso, folding him in half before launching him away in a whiplash spin—tumbling, crashing, and tearing through the ground in a streak of pulverized dirt.

William staggered, pulling the blade free as his wound began to sew itself closed once more.

Emma was about to step forward and recast Mark of God on him since one minute was nearly over.

While she was nearing the end of her reserve as well, she knew William could handle things so there was no need to hold back.

While holding Nana's hand, she stepped toward William—only to pause when she sensed all the alarms blaring in her mind as she aimed all the aether to construct a multi-layered barrier around Nana.

"Emma!"

*SQUELCH*

However…it wasn't Nana. She wasn't the target.

"Ghak!" Emma choked as she felt something cold piercing her neck and a pair of green eyes coldly looking at her.

"Annoying piece of shit." He spat as he drove the dagger deeper—or so he wanted. But then, his body turned completely still.

Every fibre of his being sensed it.

Something had awakened.

°°°°°°°°°°

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