"That guy's fast!"

"Shit! He's a level 5 Mutant!"

"It's not just him—look at the others with him!"

The adventurers at the front panicked immediately, stumbling back in fear. Sweat gathered on their brows as they desperately thought of how to escape their predicament.

All eyes turned toward the man they had been talking to earlier.

"Boss! These orcs are ridiculously strong—come help us!" a scrawny adventurer yelped, darting to the back of the group, too terrified to step forward.

The stronger ones remained at the front, unsure if they should take their chances against a level 5 Mutant. Their knuckles whitened around their weapons as the air grew tense.

Their confidence shattered further when Akhil slowly lifted his head. His sharp, crimson gaze swept over them, sending a cold shiver down their spines.

But his eyes didn't stay on them long. They locked onto the man at the center.

A short figure stood there, a black mask with intricate designs covering his face. Blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail, and a dark cloak concealed the rest of his body.

"Oh? Ohhh, looks like we've been noticed," the figure said, voice high and mockingly surprised.

Akhil's gaze sharpened. The Titan of Discord.

He moved almost instinctively—like a released arrow—cutting through the adventurers as he charged straight at the masked titan.

His leg swung down in a powerful axe kick that split the air.

The titan reacted instantly, raising an arm to block.

BAM!

The two locked in a brief stalemate, Akhil's leg caught in the titan's grip.

"Hmm. Attacking me so suddenly? That's not a very polite first greeting," the voice behind the mask chirped.

"Shut up!" Akhil roared. Twisting his body, he hurled a rapid roundhouse kick with his other leg.

The titan released him just in time, springing backward. Akhil's boot carved a gust of air inches from the titan's mask.

"You're quite aggressive, aren't you?" the man said, tone dipping into something darker.

{100 Blood Essence used!}

Several blood-forged pikes materialized around Akhil and shot toward the titan. He dodged effortlessly, flipping over the last spike as it smashed into the wall.

A mocking laugh slipped from him as he landed lightly on his feet.

"You've got quite the arsenal," he said, voice low and amused, eyes fixed on Akhil.

Akhil glared back, anger simmering. "Tell me— is the system controlling you?"

The Beast Titan had been unconscious, unable to control herself. But this—this Titan of Discord was fully aware. And that only stoked Akhil's curiosity.

"Well, you could say that," the titan replied, chuckling. "If 'accidentally' planning to kill a bunch of humans counts as a mistake."

His laughter turned hysterical, dripping with sarcasm.

Akhil gritted his teeth. "Bastard!" he shouted, launching himself forward for another attack.

----

Seeing Akhil charge after the boss, the remaining adventurers quickly decided it was time to flee.

They rushed for the door—but Seth and Langdon stepped into their path, blocking the exit.

"Let us leave! This has nothing to do with us!" the scrawny adventurer shouted.

They were human just like the two men standing before them, and he wasn't lying. In the end, it really 'was' just a mission they'd found on the guild's forum. They hadn't known what they were walking into.

"To be honest, we're doing this for your own good," Seth said calmly, releasing a long, weary sigh.

"Do you think we're scared of you?" one of the larger adventurers barked as he stepped forward. "There are only two of you. Move aside, or we'll make you!"

"Yeah, out of our way!" the others echoed, emboldened by their superior numbers. Langdon looked no older than a child, and Seth's slender build made him seem harmless.

As tension rose between the two groups, the scrawny adventurer quietly slipped out of Seth and Langdon's line of sight and made his way toward the door.

'Brawns for brains,' he thought with a grin. 'These people are monsters regardless of how they look. I'm not dying here. Let their stupidity buy my escape.'

But as he approached, the doorway darkened.

'The door isn't closing… so what's that?'

When he reached it, a towering figure stood before him—a giant nearly eight feet tall, eyes glowing red with fury.

Ryan stared down at the man.

He had helped Nibo carry the wounded orcs outside and had seen firsthand what the humans had done to them. The moment he saw this one trying to flee, anger flooded his veins.

The man froze. "I—I was just about to… hehe…"

Behind him, the other adventurers were preparing to clash with Seth and Langdon—

BOOM!

A body was hurled through the wall in a spray of blood.

Everyone froze and turned their attention toward the warehouse entrance.

"That idiot…" Langdon muttered, rubbing his temples.

Seth burst into laughter before turning his cold gaze back to the remaining adventurers. "Well then," he said flatly, stepping aside, "the door's open. If you're eager to go next, be my guest."

They had told the group to wait, knowing Nibo and Ryan were far from calm.

Seth and Langdon bore no grudge against the adventurers—after all, they were only completing a mission. But the way they had treated the orcs was unforgivable, and nothing could stop their retaliation now. The least they could do was keep the adventurers from walking straight into death.

None of the remaining adventurers dared move.

"Good boys," Seth said with a mocking grin.

---

Meanwhile, Akhil and the titan were still locked in combat.

But something was wrong.

The titan had yet to strike back, instead relying entirely on dodging and weaving through the warehouse. He moved with unnatural agility—painfully fast and disturbingly flexible, as nimble as Aria, if not more.

Finally, he stopped at the far end of the warehouse.

"Tch… troublesome brat. You've ruined my plans," he said, straightening. "Still, everything will play out as it should. I've bought enough time. I suppose this is where I leave."

"Bought time for what?!" Akhil roared, slashing at him with the blood blade.

The titan dodged easily, laughing derisively.

"Oh, you shouldn't be worrying about 'me' right now," he taunted as he retreated further back. "You left your precious settlement unguarded when you came here. I wonder… can your orcs really fend off an entire army?"

Realization hit Akhil like a bolt of lightning, for a moment he even forgot to attack.

"Well thanks for holding back, I should get going now" The man said, snapping Akhil back to reality.

He quickly bolted straight for him.

But before he could, the titan threw a round metallic ball to the ground. It blasted open, sending a white wave of disorienting light in all direction.

Everyone closed their eyes, and in that split second, as they opened their eyes again. He had already disappeared.

'Shit that bastard!' Akhil thought in anger, he quickly turned his gaze back to the others who were still recovering from the blinding flash of light.

"We have to head back now!" Akhil said with urgency.

It seemed the titan of discord was much more dangerous than he'd thought.

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