Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil
chapter-1424

Swoosh. Raise. Shoot.

Without a moment's hesitation, Renita raised this newly birthed weapon, the double barrel gun, its sleek contours pulsating with potential. Her fingers danced over the intricate runic patterns etched into its surface. And as if attuned to the awakening surge within her, the weapon responded with a vibrant hum.

A mystical manifestation, these ethereal projectiles resonated with her awakened Soul Sense, a fusion of her essence and the weapon's latent spirit.

The very air seemed charged as she locked onto her paralyzed target, her finger tightening on the trigger, determination coursing through her veins. The Mana Gun's barrels crackled to life, each channeling her Spiritual Force into the ethereal bullets that materialized within. The convergence of her newfound powers and the weapon's inherent might culminated in the birth of these deadly projectiles, each poised to unleash her intent.

In a breathless moment, her will coalesced into action, the Mana Gun discharging a pair of Spirit Bullets that streaked forth like spectral lightning, bridging the gap between her and her immobilized adversary. The spiritually potent ammunition pulsated with her resolve, an embodiment of her courage and the awakening strength within her.

Two wisps of lights, carrying the might of Renita's Spiritual Force in a condensed form, were made visible as soon as they materialized themselves as soon as Renita pulled the trigger. The wisps disappeared as soon as they appeared traveling using a surreal medium to target Renita's target. They easily breached all of Hamang's defenses before lodging themselves into the elf's very soul, damaging his Soul Space.

The Spirit Bullets birthed by Renita's artifact defied solidity, akin to fleeting dreams given form. As transient as a whisper of wind, their essence transcended the confines of material substance.

Impervious to mortal armor or conjured barriers of mana, these ethereal projectiles existed beyond the grasp of mere defenses. And as they materialized, Hamang found himself utterly defenseless, devoid of any means to thwart Renita's assault. His meticulously crafted safeguards proved as impotent as sand castles against the tide.

A tableau of astonishment played across Hamang's countenance as he bore witness to the radiant pair of white lights hurtling toward him, a force he couldn't evade or repel. He stood suspended in disbelief as these luminous entities merged with his being, a merger that transcended flesh and bone.

What transpired next unfolded in a blur of disorientation and agony. As if an arcane detonation had erupted within the confines of his mind, his perception darkened to shadows. An unfamiliar shockwave rippled through his consciousness, like a tempest ravaging the seas of his cognition. His cerebral faculties seemed to liquefy, a chaotic torrent threatening to spill his very essence from within.

"Aaaaaaaaaaargh!"

A pain-filled elven shriek.

The merest contact with the Soul Bullets had wrought havoc, the tendrils of their power penetrating Hamang's psyche with malevolent intent. Their potency was overwhelming, a raw primal force that rent the fabric of his reality. Unleashing an elemental fear he had never known, Hamang teetered on the precipice of annihilation. He perceived the erosion of his soul itself, obliteration lurking without a trace of bodily harm.

Such was the devastating might contained within Renita's attack, a silent devastation that left no outward mark, only an echoing terror in the depths of Hamang's being.

Renita's assault had inflicted a grievous wound on Hamang's very soul, an unseen laceration that seared his essence while leaving his corporeal form untouched. This metaphysical injury acted as a jarring jolt, shattering the stasis that had frozen him.

'She… she is dangerous. One more of that attack and I'm gone.'

Stepping back from Renita with a newfound urgency, Hamang felt a primal fear surging within him. Every fiber of his being screamed that any further exposure to the Ranger's soul-rending arsenal could spell his untimely demise.

But alongside this existential terror, a brutal headache pounded within his skull, muddling his thoughts and darkening his sight. The approaching footfalls of Altashia registered like distant echoes, a cacophony in his muddled mind.

Caught between two pressing threats, Hamang stood at a crossroads of action, torn between pressing on against Renita or fortifying himself against Altashia's impending assault.

With both hands clutching his skull in a desperate grip, Hamang's left hand met his cheek in a sharp slap. The impact reverberated through his head as if shaking loose the chaos that clouded his consciousness. Shaking his head in a bid to clear his reeling senses, his vision swam back into focus, only to land on Renita, whose gaze appeared vacant.

'Has… has she passed out?'

A thread of realization wound its way through Hamang's disoriented mind – Renita was unconscious, her countenance a blank canvas of slumber.

The emergence of one's Soul Sense was a seismic event for the soul, an upheaval that demanded a toll. Renita's immediate channeling of her nascent Spiritual Force into those soul-infused projectiles, coupled with the fatigue and wounds she bore from the preceding battles, had combined to plunge her into an unconscious abyss.

As the weight of her physical and metaphysical struggles bore down upon her, the fall into unconsciousness was a natural consequence, an unforeseen aftermath of her potent gambit.

'This… this is my chance,'

Hamang's countenance, once wavering and weak, underwent a swift transformation, the flicker of resolve igniting within his eyes. A sudden clarity washed over him as he recognized Renita's incapacitated state as an opportunity too grand to be missed.

Gathering his scattered thoughts and summoning his flickering courage, he decided to seize this opening, to eliminate the Ranger before turning his exhausted attention to Altashia, who was struggling at the brink.

"Hahaha. I'll fucking kill you, you witch. Then I'll kill that bastard you were trying so hard to protect. This battle… is my win!"

Hamang's laughter, dripping with vindictive delight, danced through the air, mingling with the sight of Renita's unconscious form. Swiftly evading Altashia's last-ditch scythe assault, fueled by the remnants of her ebbing mana, he lunged towards Renita, sword poised for the final blow.

Yet, just as his blade seemed on the precipice of contact with Renita's vulnerable figure, an unexpected interloper materialized between them. They caught Hamang's sword strike with their bare hands and dissipated the force behind it like it was a mere figment of Hamang's imagination.

A figure clad in resplendent garb.

Their unstable yet domineering aura was the mark of a newly ascended Master Rank that had been emblazoned upon them, their emerald eyes radiating an undeniable authority. Hamang's eyes locked onto those eyes, heavy with lethal intent, as the intruder's voice reverberated through the air, cold and grim.

"Whatever grievances you may have against me, I'd prefer if you said it to my face."

The figure's words, chilling and resolute, carried an ominous weight that sent shivers racing down Hamang's spine. In that instant, the summoner recognized the being before him – Grimdawn, a monstrous entity capable of materializing like a specter and commanding his will through voice alone.

The pieces fell into place for Hamang, the revelation crashing like a tidal wave upon him – Altashia and Renita, these two formidable women, had been a bulwark, protecting him from this very entity, a predator whose presence alone could unravel his sanity.

The realization crystallized within Hamang's mind, a stark understanding that he had been unwittingly dodging a cataclysmic catastrophe. His purpose, once the extinguishment of these two valiant women, now morphed into a desperate scramble for survival, a race to escape the clutches of a malevolent force far beyond his comprehension.