*Puff*
Unbeknownst to the Special Force, Francis was seated, puffing on a cigarette the entire time.
For the majority of the fight, Francis did not even lift a finger.
This was because of his affinity.
Or rather–Francis' affinity.
[Vapor], an advanced manifestation of the [Water] affinity.
Technically, Francis didn't have the [Vapor] affinity. But ever since becoming a Wraithbound, his [Water] affinity gradually evolved and turned into the [Vapor] affinity.
Whenever a Wraith possesses a human, they found themselves unable to use their real abilities. They could only use the abilities that the human body possessed.
Which is why not every human was a viable candidate to becoming a Wraithbound.
With the [Vapor] affinity, Francis could control and shape various types of vapor, including cigarette smoke, steam, mist, and fog.
But due to the real Francis' smoking tendencies, he opted for cigarettes as his main smoke.
He can shape and contour the smoke into anything he wills.
He could condense the smoke to the point where it would solidify, giving off the impression of a tangible, but invisible force.
Indeed, inside the smoke fog is Francis' domain.
He was unstoppable.
*Puff*
As he condensed the smoke, several silhouettes that seemed to look like his figure materialized.
He then turned around, only to find the figure of a woman slowly inching closer.
"Hm..?"
***
Reina realized how hopeless the fight was.
If she could, she would have already burned the entire room along with Francis in the process.
It was possible because it was Reina.
But she was severely handicapped due to Amy being present in the room.
There was no way to defeat Francis under the circumstances.
If they wanted to defeat him…
No, to survive until Evelyn arrives, then they have to get Amy out of the room first.
Which is why she had formed a plan with Raven.
The room was quite dark, but with the light that emerges from her flames, a shadow behind her would be visible.
Click– Click—
Clenching her teeth, Reina strode forward.
And as the force tried to push her back, the holy flames behind her expanded to mitigate the force.
Click– Click—
She continued forward.
Drip… Drip…
Cuts and grazes started to appear in her body.
She could feel the smoke solidify enough to the point where it condensed and shaped itself into razors.
Drip… Drip…
Despite the bleeding, she continued forward.
Click– Click—
The clicking of her heels echoed the entire room.
She clenched her teeth to mitigate the pain.
But she knew it was futile.
She knew her entire body was in pain.
Drip… Drip…
Blood continued to drip.
She didn't just suffer light cuts and grazes anymore.
No, she might have not noticed, but her abdomen had started to bleed profusely.
But with the holy flames engulfing her entire being, all of the cuts would gradually heal.
She just had to push through.
Click– Click—
She could feel her mana start to drain from the overuse of her holy flames.
Her previously confident expression had already crumbled.
But yet again, she did not falter and continued to stride forward.
Click– Click—
The clicking of her heels.
The pungent smell of tobacco in the room.
The only light that illuminated the room were from her flames.
Drip… Drip…
Her blood dripping on the ground, and instantly healing, rapidly depleting her mana reserves.
Gazing in front, Amy was only a few inches away.
She then turned around and urgently raised her voice.
"Raven!"
Locking eyes with him, Raven nodded and immediately appeared behind her shadow.
As soon as he did, Reina's mana reserves were out of tank.
Crash—!
Her holy flames gradually dispersed and Reina was sent crashing.
Her abdomen cut wide open and bled profusely.
At that, Reina had fulfilled her duty.
Her vision hazy, she focused on Raven who stood before the unconscious Amy.
It was all up to Raven now.
At that, Reina closed her eyes.
***
Gazing in front of him, what met Raven's sight was an unconscious Amy.
"Amy!"
But to his surprise, Amy abruptly opened her eyes and immediately responded.
"Raven! Please, help me."
Raven was surprised, but immediately changed his expressions.
Wooosh–!
Activating [Adrenaline Surge], Raven's speed was greatly enhanced and before he knew it, he was already an inch from the chains.
But as soon as he got there, a silhouette appeared in front of him.
He'd seen this happen already, a silhouette would emerge, only for his squad mates to strike at nothing but air.
However…
"Oh?"
It wasn't an empty silhouette.
It was the real Francis.
Francis pinched his chin and seemed to scan him.
Gazing into Francis' eyes, the feeling of fear gripped Raven again.
But not as suffocating as earlier, as [Serene Aura] was still in effect.
Francis then opened his mouth.
"Interesting… You're—"
Shadow stepping inside Francis' shadow, Raven tried to cut him down.
However…
Boom—!
He was immediately sent crashing on the wall behind him.
"Ukeh!"
He spat out blood.
Since he was caught off guard, he didn't brace for impact.
Step– Step—
Francis inched closer to him once again.
But the moment he did…
Clang—!
One of the chains that seemed to bound Amy broke.
Francis turned around, only to find crystal spikes protruding from the ground, cutting the chain.
"Tsk."
Francis clicked his tongue.
For some reason, Francis was interested enough in Raven, to the point where he disregarded Amy.
This piqued Raven's curiosity.
'Is it because he's a Wraithbound?'
'Am I actually…'
He dismissed his thoughts.
He knew…
He knew that he declined the offer back then.
Yet for some reason, it still gripped his heart.
Unsure.
But regardless, he dismissed his thoughts.
There was no point in pondering on it now, not when Amy had yet to be saved.
In front of him, blood shaped like a laser shot out from Drake's direction, trying to cut down the other chain.
However…
Clang—!
It was abruptly stopped by the dense smoke.
As Francis' attention was away from him, Raven used the opportunity to cut down Francis.
Clang—!
But once again, his dagger was abruptly stopped by the condensing smoke.
At that moment, a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Raven!"
It was Alexandra who clasped her hands together.
At that moment, a bright hollow glow emerged from her palms and illuminated the entire room.
Due to the blinders shielding the room from any source of moonlight, the room was completely dark.
Hence, there wasn't any available shadow for Raven to step into.
But with the light from Alexandra illuminating the entire room, shadows now became visible to him.
And one of them was Amy's.
Raven used the opportunity to instantly step inside Amy's shadow.
With a dagger in his hand, Raven swung it down to cut the chains.
Clank—!
"Go!"
Amy immediately nodded and made her way towards the exit.
The same went for Drake and Francine, who hurried outside as well.
After all, Wraithbounds were out of their jurisdiction.
Their only goal was to save Amy. They didn't expect for Francis to be a Wraithbound.
The only ones who could even match a Wraithbound was Reina and Evelyn, who were guild members.
But due to the severe handicap, Reina was out of commission.
Raven immediately followed suit, and tried to leave the room.
However, the moment he did, something gripped the back of his neck.
"Ukh!"
He was then raised up, and slowly turned his head to find Francis, staring deep into his eyes.
The grip tightened and he dropped both of his daggers down.
"Raven!"
His squad mates looked at him in horror.
And the moment one of them stepped forward, Francis opened his mouth.
"Don't move."