Neo’s body snapped back upright the moment his strength returned. Blood still slicked his skin, but the healing potion’s warmth had already closed the worst of the cuts. He did not waste a second. A skill flared under his boots—Slippery Ground—and the earth beneath Malkin Grim turned to slick mud. Grim’s heavy frame lurched. Neo slammed Gravity Pressure down on him in the same breath. The big man locked in place for a heartbeat, muscles straining against the sudden weight.

Neo charged. His boot flashed toward Grim’s ribs. The kick landed, but the pressure skill flickered and died. Grim broke free with a snarl, thick fingers clamping around Neo’s ankle.

"No hard feelings, son."

He swung Neo like a rag doll. The ground rushed up. Bone cracked. Air left Neo’s lungs in a wet burst. Grim lifted him again and slammed him down harder. Then again. And again. Each impact painted the dirt darker with Neo’s blood. Pain rolled through him in thick waves. His vision narrowed to gray edges.

Tara saw it. One more slam and Neo would not get up. She triggered her speed skill. The world blurred. She slammed into Grim’s side with everything she had, then tore away before he could grab her. Grim’s grip loosened for a fraction of a second. Neo seized it. Space folded. He vanished and reappeared twenty paces off, already pulling another healing potion to his lips. The liquid burned going down. Flesh knitted. Bones reset. He sucked in a ragged breath and looked up.

Grim was matching Tara’s speed without effort, swatting at her like she was a bothersome insect. Neo’s heart hammered against his ribs. He needed a plan. Fast. His eyes scanned the clearing, the three girls, the monster in front of them. Then the idea clicked into place.

Tara’s only real desire lived under every strike she threw: to find someone she could grow old with. The flaw that rode her shoulders was a deep fear of vulnerability. She wanted lasting companionship yet believed permanence meant showing the pieces of herself she most wanted to hide. That conflict burned behind her eyes even as she kept moving, never letting Grim lock onto her for more than a second.

Neo launched himself back into the fight, taking the pressure off her. "Long-range spells!" he shouted. "Different intervals! Different angles! Keep moving!"

It was the only plan he trusted. Grim had one mind. One set of eyes. Three moving targets plus Neo should be enough to drain him dry.

The girls obeyed. Fire, wind, and pure force lanced in from three directions at staggered beats. Grim’s face twisted. He could not block everything and still kill Neo. He chose. Teeth gritted, he poured everything into Neo, ignoring the spells that scorched his arms and back.

Neo’s legs buckled under the storm of blows. His knees hit dirt. Grim raised a fist for the finishing strike.

Neo grinned.

Lord of the End mode flooded his veins. The Sword of Nothingness appeared in his hand, blacker than the space between stars. He drove it straight through Grim’s chest. The blade slid free and cut sideways in one clean arc. Grim’s head left his shoulders and rolled across the ground, eyes still open in surprise.

Neo did not celebrate. "Run! Get the elf girl!"

They sprinted toward the road Grim had mentioned. Boots pounded dirt. Trees blurred past. The road appeared, empty at first, then a shape in the distance: a carriage moving without horses, floating on some anti-gravity force. Thick iron plates covered every surface. It looked built to haul the worst criminals alive.

They dove into the undergrowth and watched.

Tara’s eyes went wide. "That’s the Demon Prison V2. A carriage that can’t be broken by physical or magical attacks."

Even while she spoke, her deeper desire stayed the same: to be free from other people’s opinions. The flaw that haunted her was how secretly she still cared about judgment. She claimed not to care, yet imagined criticism still shaped every choice she made.

Neo kept his voice low. "What is it?"

"Latest version," she said. "The scientist I told you about made this one. Even more secure than the last. Only one model launched in the Devil Kingdom. Black Fang got their hands on cutting-edge tech. They’re not small-time."

"Way to stop it?"

She shook her head.

Neo bit his finger, tasting copper, and studied the floating prison. The anti-gravity stones sat in a precise pattern. Small gear wheels held them locked in place. If those gears broke, the stones would drop and the whole thing would crash.

He scrolled his system until he found what he needed: special oil, highly flammable. He sprinted from cover, flung the oil across the undercarriage, then looked at Mira.

"Push it deeper. Wind."

Mira nodded. A sharp gust drove the oil into every crack and gear. Neo raised his palm and released fire. Flame roared under the iron shell. The carriage burned for five full minutes. Neo stayed calm. Tara had already told him the inner and outer sections were sealed off from each other. The girl inside would not feel the heat.

When the fire died, the anti-gravity stones tumbled free. The prison dropped hard onto the road. Neo was already moving. The Sword of Nothingness carved glowing holes through the weakened armor. He forced his way inside through the largest gap.

The elf girl lay slumped against the far wall, skin clammy, cold sweat beading across her forehead. She was out cold. Neo wiped the sweat away with the back of his hand, then hauled her over his shoulder and ran. Outside, Martha took her without a word. She sat the girl against a tree and pressed glowing hands to her forehead, feeding basic healing magic into her until the fever broke and the color returned.

Martha’s deepest desire was simple: to feel in control of her own emotions. The flaw that lived in her bones was emotional suppression. She wanted mastery over herself, yet kept discovering that control and understanding were not the same thing.

The girl’s eyes snapped open. She clutched her chest.

"Mr.... I feel something about to slip up!"

Neo’s heart hammered. A system timer flared in his vision: ten minutes until the seal failed and the Scarlet King forced its way into this dimension. His legs went weak. He did not hesitate. He rushed to her side and began the same sealing ritual he had used before.

The ritual would not take hold. His sealing jitsu was too weak.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

Report chapter

Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter