Mage Adam

The Seventh Angel was really putting Adam under a lot of stress.

The Chaotic Sanctuary was supposed to be a strong, long-lasting defensive spell, but it disappeared in just a few seconds because of the leftover effects of those flames. Clearly, if Adam got hit or caught by the Seventh Angel, it would be disastrous.

From the cut-off part of the Seventh Angel, gross tissues quickly grew and tangled together. He even grew a second head on his back. Then, he opened his big, glowing red mouth and bit at Lord Svorsi's hands.

Lord Svorsi pushed one hand forward to make a shield and block the mouth, while he punched the head with his other hand. He shouted, "Die! Die! Die!" as he smashed the Seventh Angel into a bloody mess.

This wasn't just a simple physical attack. He used crystallized energy to make gauntlets, and each punch sent out a shockwave.

The Seventh Angel screamed in pain, bending his body sharply. He shot lots of red threads at Lord Svorsi.

A shield appeared on Svorsi's body. He didn't dodge and kept yelling, "Die! Die! Die!"

The Seventh Angel looked really worried. The Metal Eaters had gathered a big force to break through Blade City just to let him capture Adam inland. Now, just as he was about to succeed, he was held up by this piece of scrap metal. "Let go of me, you steel trash!"

Lord Svorsi ignored him. He wasn't great at tactics or strategy, but he knew one simple rule: if the enemy wanted to do something, he had to stop them. Since the Seventh Angel wanted to capture Adam, Svorsi had to help Adam escape!

"Die! Die! Die!" He changed his stance, turning one hand into a heavy hammer, and brought it down with huge force.

They were almost equal in strength, and with one side just trying to buy time, the Seventh Angel was stuck.

This fight was all about timing. The other Royals were being held off, and if they delayed too long, the Royal Titans would react and come to the rescue, causing the mission to fail.

Thinking of this, the Seventh Angel made a harsh choice. He abandoned his captured body, using self-mutilation to break free from the restraint.

Though this weakened him, he thought Adam was just a tricky weakling with lots of tricks. He believed their power difference was too big. Without Lord Svorsi in the way, dealing with Adam would be easy, not even needing his whole self, especially...

Without delay, Lord Svorsi flew after him. Meanwhile, he got a message from Adam, "Control his speed and lure him in my direction."

...

Once Adam had put some distance between himself and the Seventh Angel, he felt much less pressure.

The five transcendent Metal Eaters were tough opponents. Even at full power, Adam found it hard to face them all at once. However, if he wanted to escape, these big bugs couldn't stop him.

The wonders of magic were beyond the understanding of these beings who only knew how to shoot energy straightforwardly.

Adam remotely controlled floating fortresses, arranging them in formation, and occasionally slowed down to let the transcendent Metal Eaters catch up. He kept about thirty kilometers between them.

Around him floated a huge magic array made up of thousands of rune clusters. It launched spells regularly to guide the Metal Eaters, making sure they didn't lose track of him.

In his previous modifications, Adam had equipped each floating city with powerful weapon systems.

While he couldn't change the quality of the energy, the sheer amount was enough to destroy these big bugs.

In Adam's plan, the five transcendent Metal Eaters were doomed. If everything went right, even the Seventh Angel would suffer heavy losses under the bombardment.

Once the Seventh Angel's power was reduced enough, the Metal Eaters would only have six Angels left.

Suddenly, the five Metal Eaters sped up a lot. They closed the gap quickly, creating a red web in the sky to block Adam's path.

Giving up on the lure, Adam had the rune clusters unleash their full power, looking for a weak spot to break through and escape the trap.

To his surprise, the weak spot was clear. After a round of heavy attacks, Adam found it and broke through. However, a feeling of dread came over him.

"Could it be..."

At that moment, two magma-bladed swords shot up from the ground. A red creature, looking like a hundred-meter-tall mantis, appeared. His body was covered in tightly packed scales that opened and closed rhythmically, showing countless compound eyes.

Adam's heart sank. He quickly changed his plan, commanding all floating fortresses and cities to move toward him, away from the ambush site.

"I'm the Seventh Angel's subordinate, the Blade Envoy," the mantis said, raising one hand to slice the red web into nothing. "Greetings, distant guest."

Red beams shot from its compound eyes. The beams were mixed with faint gray seals, creating a two-kilometer-wide area that isolated them from the outside world.

The Blade Envoy spoke with pleasure, "I thought the Seventh Angel was overreacting, but here you are, having escaped the first ambush to face me. The Seventh Angel truly is wise."

Adam took a deep breath, gathering all his strength to enter overdrive. But it needed time, so he stalled, "You've been waiting here all along? How did you know I would escape in this direction?"

The Blade Envoy looked at Adam with approval. "Yes, that's it. You need to be stronger so the gods' gift isn't wasted. Only the victor can leave this divine space. As for how I knew your escape route, well, that's because of you."

The Blade Envoy was also gathering energy, and Adam could clearly feel the increasing energy fluctuations around him.

"A spy?"

"No, no, it's this thing." The Blade Envoy pulled out a Flame signal receiver, and Lord Svorsi's voice came through clearly, "Adam? Where are you now?"

The Blade Envoy cut off the communication with a regretful expression. "See? You were too careless. Even something like this ended up in our hands."

"Now, are you ready? I'm coming for you!"

"Aren't you afraid this seal might be shattered from the outside?" The strange gray field was disorienting, and Adam found he couldn't communicate with Sofia or the demons he had pacts with.

"Didn't you hear? Only the victor can leave! If those pieces of scrap metal outside dare to break the divine space, we'll all die. Do you think they'll do that?"

"The victor? Only one can live?"

The Blade Envoy dragged his blades behind him, crouching slightly. "You can think of it that way. But you won't die. God will take your soul and reshape your body."

Flames surged around him as he rushed at Adam, leaving trails of afterimages. "Enough talk. It's time for your death!"

Magic surged around Adam, burning like fire. His figure blurred, then filled the entire sky.

Each of his avatars raised a finger, magic concentrating at their tips. "I don't understand. What makes you so confident you can kill me?"

***BOOM!***