Shen closed his eyes as he tried to sharpen his other senses, especially his hearing so that he may detect where the round would come from roughly. Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of a whistling bullet approaching him in the direction of 4 o'clock.

Within seconds, the bullet bounced off the surfaces of the adjacent walls a few times before flying towards Shen's head far faster than he could track. Jean's barrier barely saved him as the bullet managed to cause a slight crack in the barrier, remaining lodged halfway through the barrier.

Shen got to work quickly, recalling the directions the bullet travelled in and which surfaces it ricocheted off as he drew a mental image of the trajectory of the round to backtrack the location of its firer. As he didn't see all the reflections performed by the round, he couldn't exactly pinpoint the location of the enemy sniper.

Shen remarked, "Jean, I need you to augment the barrier slightly, the enemy is slowly increasing his/her firepower in an attempt to kill me. I need to survive a few more rounds, so that I can collect more data to pinpoint our slippery foe." Jean nodded and focused more mana to keep the barrier steady. As expected, a few more rounds shot towards Shen, all of which were barely halted by Jean who was panting by now in exhaustion.

All of Jean's effort was not for naught though. In these precious moments afforded to Shen, he went deep into his inner world, pushing his mental capacity to the limit as he placed mental images of the trajectories over each other in an attempt to find the precious intersection where his enemy would be found.

Through sheer hard work and intense focus, Shen eventually recalled the place where all the trajectories started from. Combining this knowledge with the information presented on the map, Shen proudly labelled the derived enemy location on his map. He then looked out to search for his enemy and eventually found the landmark that was housing his bitter enemy.

Not wanting to alert his enemy of his knowledge, Shen pretended to be frantic and searched all over the place. Suddenly, Shen simply regained his composure as he quickly pointed his rifle towards the marked location and took a quick, well-placed shot.

Unlike most other rounds where he would simply overfill them with mana, making their firepower comparable to a cannon, Shen focused on shaping his mana along the tip of the bullet on top of simply infusing it with plenty of mana, making it as sharp as possible. This would be the driving force behind the penetration power of this round.

Shen's bullet tore through the obstacles as though they were paper before finally reaching its target, where the bullet exploded upon piercing through the wall of the target building, causing the building to collapse slowly as its supporting pillar was busted.

Katilyn did not expect her adversary to pinpoint her location so accurately, so when she heard a round piercing through all the buildings towards her, she barely managed to escape the room before the round exploded in her past location.

Though she escaped alive, she was not unscathed as the explosion generated a shellshock effect that knocked the air out of her. Katilyn limped weakly down the street, still weak and dizzy from the explosion earlier. She was racking her brain for a new hiding spot as well as a new victim when she suddenly halted as she came face to face with a man.

It was Keane and fear overwhelmed Katilyn as she could feel death emanating from him. Katilyn's face turned pale as she frantically raised her rifle to fire a few desperate shots at Keane. Keane smiled a deathly grin as he calmly danced through all the rounds before finally putting an end to her misery by slitting her throat with [Twilight].

Katilyn's eyes rolled up, revealing her whites as she slumped to the floor like a ragdoll, dead. Keane whispered, "A kill is a kill, no enemy should be spared, even when I'm in a rush to support Rachel." He then rushed off towards Rachel's last reported location, praying that she'll still be doing fine.

Flames torched the street as Rachel barely leapt to safety, jumping off the walls of adjacent buildings a couple of times before reaching the rooftop of one of the buildings, escaping out of the sight of her pursuers.

One pursuer muttered, "[Earth Pillar]." as the ground below his companions and him rose upwards, as they attempted to follow Rachel. Before they could reach the rooftop, a rude surprise awaited them as a few swords came flying towards them. The same pursuer as before instinctively conjured an [Earth Wall] to fend the attack, but not before one of his companions slipped past the incoming swords as he dived towards Rachel.

That particular pursuer immediately extended the claws hidden in his knuckle guards as he swiped at Rachel relentlessly. Using her Enigma Ability, Rachel quickly conjured a pair of swords in both hands as she skilfully deflected the strikes aimed at her.

Recognising her skill with the sword, the assailant quickly enhanced the sharpness of his blades with Wind magic. Rachel calmly countered with a simple mana armament as she flowed her mana through her swords, increasing their sharpness and sturdiness.

Rachel knew that she couldn't afford to stay put in one place for too long and get surrounded by all her pursuers, hence, she quickly dispatched of her first foe by conjuring a floating blade behind him. As he was too engrossed with defending against her incessant blows, he failed to notice the hidden blade at his rear and unwittingly pierced himself on it.

Rachel took off again as the remaining pursuers nearly caught up with her. She thought, "I don't have the ability to take all of them at once, my only chance is to isolate them one by one while waiting for reinforcements." Rachel's agility made it difficult for her hunters to keep up with her, as she navigated corners and bends with ease while hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

However, Rachel's run came to an abrupt halt as she was struck by a stray [Fire Bullet] that caused her to crash awkwardly. Her enemies seized the opportunity by closing the gap immediately as they looked set to trap her.

Before they could even lift a finger, they were surprisingly frozen in place all of a sudden. Rachel quickly got up to her feet as she examined the men. They appeared to be struggling against the unknown force that had bound them. Rachel smiled as she saw a figure approach silently from behind.

It was Keane, and this was his Enigma Ability, [Immobilisation]. Any person caught in Keane's field of vision would be immobilised until he removes eye contact with them. Keane chided, "What're you waiting for, I can't keep my eyes open all day."

Rachel giggled as she conjured 4 gigantic swords hovering above the heads of her assailants-turned-victims. She whispered, "Your wish is my command." as the 4 swords dropped like a guillotine.

Julian panted heavily as he was compelled to dodge another swing from Bone. Their battle with the hulk had been nothing short of intense, the damage to the battlefield evidence of the statement made earlier.

It was bad enough that Bone possessed a freakish amount of strength and mana, which made every hit from him heavy enough to break more than a few bones. No, it wasn't even his surprising mobility with those roller skates that agonised the twins.

What truly confounded them was Bone's durability. Yes, his immense output of mana created a naturally strong mana armour around him. However, even after the twins had broke through his armour to actually wound him, despite the numerous slashes and injuries Bone had received, he still stood strong and imposing as he continued his rampage against them.

Julian was nearing his limit already. He poured in all his magic and stamina to break through Bone's defences and scored a few wounds on him, but it was sadly to no avail. Julian took a glance at his sister. She was faring no better, as the wind flowing around her blade started to flicker.

This was truly a struggle, as both sides were in terrible condition. It was now simply a battle of wills. Bone too was actually approaching his limit as well, but the mask on his face concealed any signs of exhaustion from the giant.

Bone looked down at his feet. The skates which had served him so well were badly ruined by wear and tear, especially in this long drawn-out battle as they eventually gave way, leaving him without wheels. Bone began to feel a little giddy, but he knew he couldn't afford to display any sign of weakness to his enemy. He gritted his teeth as he gripped the handle of his weapon with both hands.

Julian looked at Bone before glancing back at his sister. He said weakly, "Julia, this is it. The final strike. Pour everything you've got into this last attack!!" Julia nodded as all 3 of them started gathering the last vestiges of mana they could muster.

The twins placed their swords together in an X-like fashion as they allowed their magic to intertwine with each other. They cried in unison, "[Combination Magic - Blaze Storm]!" as they swung their swords at Bone. Bone uttered a war cry as he slammed his cudgel against the incoming swords.

The 2 forces refused to yield as the advance of the heinous flames were thwarted by Bone's immense shockwave. Both sides continued to pour in more mana in hope of overcoming their adversary in a battle of attrition.

However, at the end, there must be one victor. Eventually, Bone's cudgel couldn't withstand the pressure and broke under impact, allowing the twins to slash across his torso, incinerating him in the process as their combined attack ravaged through the streets. Bone released his weapon as the twins collapsed to their knees in exhaustion.

Just as Julian thought his ordeal was over, he noticed that Bone was still towering over them as he shakily raised his fist to punch them. Julian cursed, "Damn, he can still move despite that attack? What a monster!"

Suddenly, Bone simply froze in his tracks as he stood as still as a statue. After a few minutes of inaction, the twins slowly struggled to their feet and Julia tested Bone for any signs of breathing. There was none.

Julia was about to remove his mask before Julian stopped her, explaining, "Let's not tarnish the pride of a great warrior any further and leave him be. Only the greatest warriors would never fall, even upon death. You have my respect, Bone." Julia nodded as she retracted her hand, supporting her brother as they limped away from the dead Bone.

Meanwhile, Kai and Cold Steel were staring intensely at each other, each waiting for the other to act first. Cold Steel remarked, "From that attack earlier, I can tell that you're rather proficient with Lightning magic. However, do you think I wouldn't be prepared against Lightning specialists?"

Suddenly, Cold Steel's body started emitting steam as it appeared to become redder with each passing second. Eventually, it appeared as though his body was covered by molten steel. The heat from Cold Steel's body was so immense that Kai began to sweat profusely.

Kai could tell that this molten steel armour was dangerous, as drops of molten steel melted the ground Cold Steel was standing on. Kai commented, "A combination of Fire magic and Enigma Ability to form a fusion element? This could be tricky."

Kai had heard about fusion elements from his master, which were equivalent in status and rarity to Enigma Abilities. Fusion Elements were difficult to produce and master, for several conditions had to be met.

One of these requirements was to have an affinity for more than one element. Kai fulfilled this condition, but even he has yet to achieve complete mastery over his fusion element, for there was immense difficulty in mixing and synergising 2 separate elements, not forgetting his ineptitude in Light magic.

Kai gently wiped beads of sweat formed on his forehead before he swiftly launched himself towards his opponent, with a [Lightning Blade] in tow. Kai had the intention of testing his opponent's proficiency with his fusion element, for a low proficiency would mean that his Lightning magic should still be able to hurt him so long as it was focused.

Cold Steel cried, "Come! [Molten Vulcan]!" as his left arm morphed into a spear burning bright with molten steel before it pierced at Kai relentlessly. Kai slalomed his way through the barrage, but just before Kai could impale his enemy's chest, he noticed an incoming horizontal slash from the left corner of his eye.

Kai instinctively blocked the strike with a [Lightning Blade] swiftly generated on his left hand. To his dismay, the molten blade ate away his electricity so fast that he barely had any time to back off from Cold Steel before his hand was completely seared and cleaved. Kai blew gently at his left hand in an attempt to relieve the burn wound he had obtained as Cold Steel merely smirked.

Cold Steel taunted, "Guess I overestimated you, your Lightning magic is so paltry that my molten steel simply burned through it. You're so boring, I think it's time to end this!" Kai snarled in response, "You want power, I'll give you power! [40mm Lightning Particle Cannon]!" as he released a highly concentrated beam of electricity at Cold Steel.

Cold Steel jested, "Now that's more like it! [Molten Meteor Smash]!" as his right hand morphed into an amorphous mass of molten steel that grew rapidly before lashing out towards Kai's attack in the form of a gigantic fist similar to the [Titan Fist] spell.

Upon clashing, both attacks refused to concede as sharp lightning cackled and searing flames billowed, reflecting the amount of magic power put into both spells. Eventually, a huge explosion resulted that blew both duellists away from each other.

Kai quickly drew [Cavalier] from his pocket and murmured, "Extend and impale, [Cavalier]!" [Cavalier] morphed into its spear form and Kai used its spear tip to pierce the ground in an attempt to stop himself from flying further. Similarly, Cold Steel had transformed one of his arms into a sword that served to halt his momentum.

Kai thought, "Even ranged attacks don't work…guess it all boils down to this." Kai started channelling electricity on one hand and Light magic on the other as he gripped [Cavalier] with both hands.

[Cavalier] was made of Saintwood, which is obtained from the World Trees that are solely found in the Forest of Pangaea. These trees, which contain a high concentration of Light magic due to their immense exposure to sunlight, made good conduits for Light magic. Thus, this eases the balancing and synergising processes required for Kai to synthesise his fusion element.

Soon enough, Kai's Lightning magic and Light magic combined harmoniously to give birth to the fusion element [White Lightning]. Kai muttered to himself, "I can't maintain this fusion element for long, got to strike him hard and fast."

Cold Steel raised an eyebrow as his face reflected an amused expression. He commented, "So you do have a trick up your sleeve. However, can you truly best me with this little gimmick?" Kai silently activated his Luminos on his left eye as he charged towards Cold Steel, his spear cackling with bright white electricity.

Cold Steel was taken aback by the sudden change in Kai's left pupil, but still managed to calmly launch a [Molten Vulcan] towards Kai. With the help of his enhanced visual prowess, Kai dodged the attacks even more efficiently than before. When he reached within striking distance, Cold Steel attempted to interrupt his attack in the same fashion which he did before.

However, Kai simply leapt and expertly spun his way out of the attack. Subsequently, he thrust his spear forward towards Cold Steel's exposed left chest while using his Luminos Ability [Erase] simultaneously. This resulted in Cold Steel losing his [Molten Armour] temporarily, which was sufficient time for Kai to impale Cold Steel through his heart, electrocuting him badly with his [White Lightning]. Cold Steel screamed in pain before going limp and collapsing on his knees.

Kai quickly retracted [Cavalier] from his fallen adversary, reverting it back to its pen form before turning around and walking away. Kai looked up towards Adeline and gave her a weak smile. However, all he saw was a frantic expression on her face as though she was trying to warn him of some impending danger. The last thing he remembered feeling was a sharp pain to the back of his neck as he instantly fell unconscious after that attack.

Kai collapsed face first onto the ground, his neck bleeding profusely as a pool of blood slowly emerged around his neck. Cold Steel licked the blood off his right hand as he laughed maniacally, "Your attack hurts like hell, but it won't kill me because I have situs inversus. Hahaha!"

Adeline clasped both of her hands in front of her mouth as she watched on in horror. It was difficult to accept that Cold Steel wasn't killed simply because the location of his organs were mirrored, meaning that his heart was on his right instead.

Cold Steel glanced towards Adeline, "You 2 are next, prepare yourself!" Suddenly, a wave of dread swept over the nearby area as Cold Steel froze in fear. He turned behind slowly, only to find Kai back on his feet, his eyes glowing dark red.

Adeline clasped her hands tightly together as she has never felt so much…death coming from any person, not to mention her boyfriend. Kai had never been this vengeful and maniacal before. Adeline swore that her eyes wasn't playing tricks on her as she could clearly see the foul, red mana being emitted from Kai like a toxic miasma.

Cold Steel snapped out of his shock and quickly reactivated his [Molten Body], hastily aiming a [Molten Sword] slash towards Kai's exposed neck. Kai simply raised his right arm to block the attack with the back of his hand, the foul mana effectively warding off the heat of Cold Steel's technique.

Before Cold Steel could react, Kai swiftly grabbed his transformed arm with his fingers and crushed the blade between them. Cold Steel howled in pain as he undid the transformation on his left hand, revealing a broken hand.

Without warning, Kai appeared in front of Cold Steel in a flash and launched a punch at his gut. Despite the protection awarded by his [Molten Body], Cold Steel's defence simply crumbled under Kai's peculiar attack as he coughed out blood.

This was only the beginning, as Kai relentlessly pummelled Cold Steel with several more punches. Adeline couldn't bear to watch as the sounds of cracking steel and broken bones were clearly audible. By the time Kai had finished his rout, Cold Steel's body had already went limp as he died from severe physical trauma.

Adeline noticed that there were some unnatural white patches all over Kai's body, as she witnessed him placing both hands on the shoulders of the now dead Cold Steel. Jonathan, who just awoke from his state of unconsciousness, weakly assisted himself up to take a peek as he asked, "Is it over already…my god!"

Jonathan and Adeline both witnessed Kai's brutal act as he pulled Cold Steel's body towards his incoming knee with such force that the head of the corpse burst into blood that spattered all over the nearby wall. Kai then discarded the headless body of Cold Steel like an unwanted toy before letting out a guttural shriek that could be heard throughout the entire town.

Adeline sobbed tearfully, tears flowing down her cheeks while Jonathan was stumped in horror of the new menace. Fortunately for them, Kai's red eyes started fading and steam emerged from the white patches of his body as they slowly faded. Kai then lost consciousness as he lurched forward, collapsing onto the ground.

Once she was confident that Kai was truly unconscious, Adeline quickly rushed to his side, only to realise that the fatal injury on his neck was completely patched up, leaving a white scar. She quickly checked his vitals and discovered that his condition was surprisingly stable with no injuries whatsoever.

Keane suddenly appeared out of nowhere with the twins and Rachel behind him as he questioned, "I'll save the questions for later, let's meet up with Shen and Jean. We're getting the hell out of this place. Help me with Jonathan, will ya, Adeline? I'll take Kai."

Keane then hoisted the unconscious body of Kai over his shoulder as the team moved slowly to regroup with their support personnel, marking an end to what has been a gruelling battle.