Dane had already killed eight Hunters, with only two remaining. However, both of them were injured due to Dane's previous attacks.
'Shit, how is he so strong?' one of them thought.
Despite losing eight of their teammates, the two managed to injure Dane slightly.
He got a few cuts previously on his shoulders and back while trying to simultaneously dodge and counter multiple people.
They had expected Dane to become more reserved in his attacks after he'd been injured, but his tempo never changed.
Unlike Kai, who had a unique ability making him a valuable asset, Dane's talent lay in fighting in such situations. Even though he was at the peak of A Rank, multiple artifacts Asher had given him had significantly boosted his strength.
"Chain Cut," Dane muttered as he looked at the last two hunters.
This was the same attack Dane had used in the Security Room to kill all the paralyzed hunters at once.
As Dane disappeared from his spot, multiple cuts appeared on the bodies of the already tired hunters, who tried to defend themselves.
But Dane kept changing the direction of his attacks.
He drove the sword through the chest of one of the hunters, killing him immediately, then looked at the last hunter who was charging at him.
<You're finished, right?>
At this moment, Dane heard Tom's voice but didn't reply, focusing instead on the hunter charging at him. He sidestepped once and cut off his arm.
"ARGGHHHH," a hunter screamed in pain, but not for long.
Dane immediately plunged his sword into the hunter's heart, killing the last one standing.
"Yeah," Dane replied as he turned, leaving the bloody mess behind him.
Standing in the Management Room, Asher saw various alerts that kept popping up on the screen due to Tom's infiltration into the system.
The data piece he had just removed was the Security System, customized and applied on the Fourth Level by the technical team accompanying Louis Rothschild.
Seeing no further need for his presence in this room, Asher turned and exited.
He was running back to the place where he had left Kai and the security guards' team leader to fight.
"Damn it," Kai muttered as the man before him dodged his attacks.
In a normal situation, the team leader would have been faster than Kai, but the effects of the drugs had made him a bit sluggish.
However, Kai was also not at his best. Although he had enough mana for one last fight, he was trying to conserve it, knowing Louis Rothschild was just behind them.
'Was he not the one?' the team leader thought as he maintained his distance.
His initial fear of Kai was fading as he dodged one attack after another. At first, he hesitated a lot about whether to attack Kai, but he tried to face him nevertheless.
But now that he was actually facing him, he realized that Kai was not too strong for him. Although his spells were still potent enough to injure him, he could dodge them if he remained careful.
Kai knew that the longer he dragged this fight, the more mana he would have to use.
"Burst Flame," Kai used another spell.
The Team Leader saw various bursts of flame coming his way but kept dodging them one after another.
Kai was carefully observing his path and waiting for his opportunity to arrive. He wanted to end this with one single attack, but he wasn't getting the opening.
Seeing Kai's labored breathing, the Team Leader knew that his opponent was not at his peak. So he decided to prolong the fight. He knew he was weakened due to some unknown drug, and his only option was to drag out the fight until he could finally kill his opponent.
Boom
After dodging the last burst, some of which grazed his shoulder, Kai was about to attack the team leader with another spell. But he stopped momentarily when he heard a voice through the communication device.
<Keep him occupied>It was Asher's voice directed towards him.
Kai immediately switched the way he attacked and raised his hand in the air.
"Rising Flames," he spoke, as flames started appearing on the floor towards the Team Leader.
But the Team Leader wasn't bothered by this spell. He could easily counter it with his aura. He raised his hammer in the air and slammed it on the ground.
*BAM*
The force of his strike easily quelled the flames, as the two attacks were of different magnitudes.
Kai had only used a Tier 2 spell, leading the Team Leader to assume that he was finally in a position to go on the offense.
At this moment, Asher had already spread his mana sense and could sense the two A Rank hunters fighting each other. Asher had taken another path and was now behind the Team Leader.
Asher took a deep breath, controlling his breathing to erase his presence as much as possible.
He changed his grip on his sword and used Mir Steps to get closer to where Kai and the Team Leader were fighting.
It didn't take him long to arrive behind the Team Leader, who was about to charge towards Kai. However, Asher was not invisible, so he carefully approached the Team Leader, moving from one point to another without making a sound.
This was difficult for him, but his regular practice of the movement technique allowed him to use the burst of mana and move silently simultaneously.
The Team Leader, who was too focused on Kai, didn't sense the small amount of mana behind him. Seeing an opportunity to finish off Kai, he got a bit careless. Due to the effect of Asher's armor and the drug, Asher managed to close the distance between them.
"What!" The Team Leader sensed a presence behind him, but it was too late.
"Swift Strike" were the last words he heard as a sword slashed through his neck.
Thud!
The body of the Team Leader fell to the ground as Asher went over it.
[ Host has gained 20,000 EXP ]
[ Host has leveled up ]
Kai looked at Asher, breathing heavily.
He was about to comment on their situation when they sensed a massive wave of mana from behind them.
Immediately, Kai turned in that direction with a worried look on his face.
Asher did the same as his indifferent eyes gazed toward the direction where they had trapped Louis Rothschild.
*BOOM*
A loud explosion followed the wave of mana.
Kai could even feel the vibrations from the explosion. Although he knew what might have happened, he didn't want to believe it.
Knowing that Asher had returned, he could guess that Asher had finished taking over the management room or whatever else was needed for Tom to take control of the Fourth Level.
They were so close to escaping the Fourth Level. He hoped it was something else, but Tom's words confirmed his fear.
<B-Boss, Louis Rothschild has headed towards the entrance of the Fourth Level>
"Shit," Kai muttered.
Instead of chasing them, Louis had gone directly to their only escape point.
"Open the Fourth Level Entrance the moment you gain control over it," Asher commanded.
<O-Okay>
Tom replied, but even Kai could hear the uncertainty in Tom's voice. He, too, harbored similar thoughts.
They were fortunate to have trapped Louis Rothschild once, but this time he was certain that such tricks would no longer work.
