Not-So an Extra

As their intense gazes locked, Hector suddenly vanished, prompting Adrian to hastily reinforce his barrier with multiple layers.

—Shattered!

Two outer shields crumbled into pieces as Hector's fist collided with them. Standing face to face, their eyes met once again, and Hector couldn't help but flash a smug smile, genuinely impressed by the speed of Adrian's Incantation.

Sensing Mana condensing above him, Hector darted upward and saw a Magic Circle unleashing a volley of wind bullets, compelling him to jump backward to evade.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

The ground erupted, dispersing debris and dust flew to the surroundings. However, just right after Hector landed, he instinctively sidestepped Simone's spear that had been aimed at him, causing it to pierce through the empty air.

As if time had slowed down, Hector whirled around and delivered a swift kick toward Simone's back. To his surprise, five barriers materialized and surrounded him, shielding him from the attack.

—Shattered!

Two barriers shattered and Simone's body was flung to the side, eventually striking the ground and rolling several times. Hector tilted his head just in time, narrowly avoiding the spearpoint launched by Péréz that passed by his ear.

Reacting quickly, Hector grabbed the spear's shaft and pulled it, forcing Péréz to lunge forward. Without hesitation, Hector shot his fist, but just like before, a split second before the punch made contact with Péréz's abdomen, five barriers appeared and enveloped him.

"Tsk," Hector clicked his tongue; his frustration mounting.

—Shattered!

Three barriers shattered upon the impact of his attack, sending Péréz's body careening to the side and crashing into Ralph who was running nearby. The collision caused them to slide along the ground, momentarily disoriented.

Glancing sideways, Hector furrowed his brow upon realizing that the white-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. He scattered his eyes and spotted the one he was looking for, who was running.

Without further delay, Hector initiated a rapid sprint, relentlessly pursuing Adrian. When the distance between them dwindled, a brilliant light engulfed Hector's clenched fist, which he then proudly brandished.

—Bang!

A thunderous sound reverberated as his fist collided with a sword, and Hector's expression grew grim the moment he locked eyes with a pair of piercing golden orbs. It was Nathaniel, standing before him, fully healed and readied for the fight.

"Don't even think about touching him," Nathaniel warned sternly.

Yet, Hector merely sneered wryly, "Ha! You dare speak those words when you can't even defeat me?"

"Shut up!" Nathaniel snapped.

They retrieved their weapons and swung them once again.

—Bang! —Bang! —Bang!

The resounding clash of their blows reverberated through the forest, accompanied by bursts of white light that illuminated the night. Nathaniel clenched his teeth, feeling the numbness creeping into his arms. In contrast, Hector maintained a relaxed expression, seemingly unfazed by the intensity of the battle.

Amidst their flurry of attacks, Hector discreetly raised his leg and delivered a swift kick to Nathaniel's abdomen. However, just as his foot was about to make contact, five barriers materialized, blocking his strike.

—Shattered!

The barriers shattered into countless fragments. Glancing behind Nathaniel, Hector caught sight of two chakrams hurtling towards him. Prompted by this, Hector quickly leaped to the rear, allowing them to slice through the vacant space. As his feet touched the ground, Hector immediately waved his fists, deftly countering every arrow shot in his direction.

—Snap! —Snap! —Snap!

The arrows shattered upon clashing with his fists. As Hector deftly parried the projectiles, Simone, Péréz, and Ralph charged towards him. However, as they closed in, Hector unexpectedly delivered a powerful punch to the ground, causing a tremendous explosion and sending them flying backward due to the immersive shockwave.

Instinctively, Adrian conjured five barriers to protect his friends before they crashed and rolled several times on the ground. Amidst the falling debris and cloud of dust, Hector quickly shielded his face when a sword rushed in.

—Bang!

White fiery sparks erupted between the collided wind blades. Hector and Nathaniel retracted their weapons and brandished them once again.

Arriving before the girls, Adrian faced Sylvina, a sense of urgency filled in his voice. "Vivi, I need your help."

lightsnοvεl.cοm Sylvina, taken aback by Adrian's serious tone, replied, "Sure, what is it, Ian?"

Adrian took out a Silent Magic Device and activated it, creating a transparent barrier around them, Sylvina furrowed her brows in confusion, unsure of what Adrian was planning.

"'I, Sylvina Rennelius, solemnly swear to utilize the power of blood control solely for benevolent purposes. I shall never employ it with malevolent intentions or to inflict harm. Should I violate this oath, my Mana Pool shall be shattered. I pledge to uphold this oath, responsibly employing blood control for the betterment of others and the preservation of harmony.' That's your Oath, correct?"

Sylvina's confusion deepened as she listened to Adrian recite her Oath. She had no inkling as to why he suddenly brought it up, but a sense of unease washed over her. "Yes, that is correct," she replied cautiously.

However, Adrian's next words caught her completely off guard. "I really am sorry to request such a thing from you, but I need you to manipulate the enemy's blood pressure to slow his movement and regeneration."

Sylvina's heart skipped a beat, inexplicable emotions in her eyes as she stared right into Adrian's cerulean gaze. She couldn't fathom why Adrian would ask her to do something that seemed to contradict her very oath.

"But isn't it against the Blood Controlling's oath?" she questioned, her voice trembling slightly.

Adrian nodded solemnly, fully aware of the implications of his request. Manipulating the enemy's blood pressure could be considered to cause harm, even if the opponent was evil and posed a significant threat. "Yes, it is," he admitted, his voice filled with regret. "But you are free to decline it."

"..." Sylvina's mind raced as she weighed the consequences of her decision. On one hand, she had taken an oath to use her powers responsibly and for the betterment of others. On the other hand, her friends were in danger and Adrian believed that manipulating the enemy's blood pressure was their best chance at survival.

Adrian patiently awaited her response. If Sylvina declined, they would have to wait for reinforcements to arrive. Adrian believed it was high time his father and the others were made aware of their disappearance. However, the dilemma was that Adrian did not know when they would arrive.

—Bang!

The clash between Hector and Nathaniel's weapons resounded through the surroundings. Hector couldn't help but let out a wry smirk upon witnessing Nathaniel's trembling hands and spat his mind, "Must be hurt, huh?"

Unfazed by Hector's taunt, Nathaniel swiftly retracted his sword and executed a vertical swing. However, Hector's keen perception allowed him to see through the boy's slow movements, causing him to chuckle at the feeble attempt.

With effortless agility, Hector deftly bent his back to evade, however…

"Huh?" Hector's mind raced when an intense wave of dizziness surged through his body. His vision distorted, and his limbs felt heavy and unresponsive.

—Splat!

A sickening sound filled the air as Nathaniel's sword grazed both of Hector's eyes. The excruciating pain that followed caused Hector to emit a guttural groan, his grip on his face tightening as blood gushed from the wounds, darkness enveloping his vision.

Witnessing the unexpected turn of events, Nathaniel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, 'Why was he suddenly stopped? What just happened?'

Adrian, observing the scene from a distance, watched with a mixture of intrigue and satisfaction, 'So, my hypothesis has been proven correct, huh?'

Shifting his eyes to the side, Sylvina was seen blinking her eyes several times, clearly displaying her surprise at being unharmed after whatever she had done to Hector.

Adrian couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the unfolding events, 'With this, the tables have now been flipped.'