"Blood Lightning Monster, you will stay here whether you like it or not," the man said.
"Oh, I quite like that tone of yours." Souta raised his eyebrows, feeling amused by this guy.
Boom!!
A deafening sound echoed, causing Souta to turn his head.
Souta smiled faintly. If there was an expert to hold him back, then the others must also have one.
There were experts keeping all the representatives of large factions in check. If that's the case, then the guards around the device must be weak. It comes down to their subordinates to do it.
'Well, I don't have to worry. Alice will do her job even without me telling her to.'
Souta then focused his attention on the tall man. He slowly opened his mouth and asked, "Who are you?"
"Blood Lightning Monster, you may not know me, but I know you very well. I've been tasked to keep you in this place. I am Jackgun Ferdona, also called Boulder Jack," the man said calmly. "I'm quite eager to know you, a monster who stopped the plan of a god. Those people from the Wingless Crow are all trash for failing to kill you. I should've expected this."
"Oh, well, do you want to start it now?" Souta grinned widely. His aura rose sharply, causing the air to vibrate.
"I have no choice but to force you to stay here." Boulder Jack's expression turned cold.
Souta didn't waste any more time as he dashed towards Boulder Jack.
Boom!!
Meanwhile, Genzu and the others were fighting the top experts of the Army of Gluttony in different zones. Their battle caused a huge commotion, affecting thousands of civilians.
There was nothing they could do at this moment except to fight. The civilians couldn't leave the barrier because it's been modified, and they needed to destroy the device that contained the Cancelling Rune to return the barrier to normal.
Various battles occurred across the country at the same time. The two forces clashed fiercely, turning the entire country into a battlefield.
No one expected this kind of development.
The one with the highest number of enemies was the angels. They were in Zone 1, fighting a large number of Five Circle Officers and Four Circle Officers.
Various factions fought their way to the center of the country, where the Cancelling Rune was located. Destroying it was the only way to get the civilians out of the country.
It's a must.
Every minute, thousands of civilians were dying, and if this kept up, the entire population of Selnes Country would be annihilated.
Alice and the other warriors of Athens's Champion charged through the battlefield, slaying the experts from the Army of Gluttony. They kept a tight formation and worked with the soldiers of the Darkna Clan to push through the line of the enemies.
"Keep pushing!" Alice shouted.
She moved her body swiftly as her spear flashed with cold light, separating the heads of her opponents from their bodies.
Alice continued to move forward while the rest followed her. She slightly glanced at what was happening above.
Her expression was grave. Edilon and Fremi, the only Four Shackles experts of the Sixth Grain War, were fighting the Four Shackles officers along with the help of the Four Shackles of the Darkna Clan.
'All the top experts are busy dealing with each other... I, no, we have to do this.'
Alice said inwardly as she swiftly killed another officer.
Then, she paused and raised her hand.
"Halt!"
In the next moment, a series of powerful spells rained down on the land in front of them. Eilish and the other mages cast their spells, demolishing the land along with their enemies.
Boom!!
Thick smoke and dust covered the area, but it wasn't enough to delay them from advancing.
"Charge! Our enemies took damage from our spells! Kill them!"
Alice shouted as she led the charge.
They managed to push through the enemy line, but it wasn't an easy battle. They suffered a few casualties, and the civilian casualties were high.
Boom! Boom!
Genzu moved at high speed, exchanging thousands of blows with his opponents. Their figures kept flickering in the air as shockwaves followed through every time they launched an attack.
After a few seconds, the two created a distance from each other.
Genzu took a deep breath as he tightly grasped the axe in his hand.
His opponent was on the same level as him. It was a man in dark attire equipped with a huge red sword. There was another giant sword hanging on his back. The only difference was that its blade emitted a dim bluish light.
He was a powerful expert called Dark Blader.
Dark Blader was stronger, and Genzu knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat this guy without going all-out.
"With the presence of a traitor, I can't fight alongside my comrades. Although the chances of the traitor being one of the Five Master Clans are high, it still can't rule out the possibility of them being from a large faction," Genzu muttered to himself.
That's why they separated and fought in different zones.
What if the traitor appeared here and fought him two versus one?
It's fine since Genzu was confident that even if there were two opponents, he wouldn't be killed easily. At the very least, he would be able to escape and inform the others about the traitor. It's better than fighting side by side just to get caught off guard by the traitor.
The other representatives had this confidence too.
So if someone appeared while they were fighting, they would consider it a traitor. They would quickly retreat to inform the others.
Souta remained steadfast in his resolve. If Shen Yao or anyone else were to appear, he was confident that he could protect himself without losing his life. He would also have ample time to alert the others about the traitor.
Bang! Bang!
Souta swiftly swung his sword, striking Boulder Jack head-on.
"[Crimson Moon]!"
The crimson energy blade struck Boulder Jack's body, creating a deep gash in the ground. However, it had little effect on Boulder Jack, merely scratching him.
Boulder Jack sneered, gazing down at Souta's futile attack. He raised his hand and unleashed a barrage of thousands of rocks imbued with elemental power.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Each rock carried potent elemental energy, forcing Souta to maneuver quickly to avoid them. Then, he pressed his hand downward, creating a powerful gravitational force that descended upon his opponent.
As Souta retreated into the sky, twenty black spheres materialized behind him. The gravitational force was so intense that it halted the flight of the rocks.
"This is troublesome... This guy is much stronger than Fendal," Souta muttered, continually adjusting his body's position while wielding gravity to restrict Boulder Jack's movements.
It wasn't that Souta couldn't defeat his opponent; it would simply require a considerable amount of time. He remained confident in his ability to emerge victorious.
With the [Vajra Sword Saya] in his right hand and the [Orb of Arcane Seal] hovering by his side, Souta believed he had the necessary tools.
Souta pointed his finger at his opponent.
Ohm!
Boulder Jack's eyes widened as he sensed impending danger. He leaped into the air, and in the next instant, a black hole materialized out of thin air, obliterating everything in its previous location.
"Again...?!"
Boulder Jack propelled himself through the air, moving as swiftly as possible. The first black hole suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by a second one.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Boulder Jack continued to dart around, evading Souta's repeated [Black Hole] spells, which wreaked havoc on the surrounding landscape.
The moment a black hole materialized, it instantly obliterated a significant portion of the terrain. It was inevitable that someone might become ensnared in this destructive maelstrom.
This kind of battle spelled instant death for those who hadn't broken a great shackle. Souta's spell had been amplified by the [Orb of Arcane Seal], and it required no more than a second to dispatch anyone who hadn't broken a great shackle.
Boulder Jack was taken aback. Despite his efforts to evade the relentless barrage of black holes, Souta continued to assail him.
"This monster... This Tier 3 spell must be an inner spell; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep casting it."
A golden light radiated from Boulder Jack's body, and his eyes turned a fiery red.
"[Golden Body Asunder]!"
"[Iron Bending Skin]!"
His energy surged dramatically, enhancing his physical capabilities. In an instant, he thrust his fist into the air.
Boom!
A deafening noise erupted, but before the sound could even reach Souta, a golden energy fist had already materialized in front of him.
Souta propelled himself through the air with a kick, using gravity to hasten his retreat. Simultaneously, he extended his finger and invoked [Black Hole].
A black hole materialized out of thin air and collided with the colossal golden fist.
Boom!!
Souta shifted to the side, his gaze tracking Boulder Jack's movements. He clenched his palm tightly.
In the next moment, a deluge of thousands of blood spears descended upon his target's location. All escape routes were sealed off, leaving Boulder Jack with no alternative but to defend.
"Do you think this will hurt me?!" Boulder Jack roared as he soared through the air, paying no heed to the blood spears attempting to pierce his resilient skin.
